On Distant Shores
by Bean02
Summary: Tom Pullings, Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin, and Will Blakeney all manage to appear in a very unlikely place! Yep. It’s the sequel to “To Wives and Sweethearts”… insanity is guaranteed!
1. Chapter One

A/N: Yes! The long awaited… or at least requested then probably forgotten sequel to "To Wives and Sweethearts"! And let me warn you now, if you had issues with the last story being pointless, weird, unlikely, and insane, you ain't seen nothing yet. This one's even worse! It's actually quite plotless really… more like a bunch of random silliness that follow the unexpected journey of Olivia, Tom, Jack, Stephen, and Will Blakeney. It focuses mainly on Tom and Olivia (of course…) but it has the rest thrown in there to add to the insanity, and give them some of their own amusement. It's all Jack's fault. So if you hate it, poke Elessar King. Hehe actually most of the amusing events are from us joking around so many much thanks to Jacky! Other people contributed to the silliness…. Hehe and a million thanks to Whitney for all the Pullings jokes which will certainly appear in later chapters…

Rating: PG-13…. Yeah guys, this story is set at an American university, and as a student I can tell you that no story set there can possibly be less. There's language… there's drinking…. there's loads of perverted jokes and innuendo… and maybe a little bit more than that ;-)

WARNING: DO NOT TAKE THIS STORY TOO SERIOUSLY!! This is just me having fun guys… I don't think this could really happen… nor do I think the characters would behave so ridiculously… it's just a bit of fun and over exaggerating and again… having fun while having a seriously high sap content at times as well….

You have now been warned. Enjoy!

"On Distant Shores" (where the heck do I get these weird titles by the way?)

Chapter One

Olivia Corin stepped back with a sigh and looked around the room with exhaustion. Since her roommate had moved out that morning Olivia had spent the entire day cleaning, scrubbing woodwork, floors, vacuuming and getting rid of any dirt, dust, or mildew in the apartment. It had been a long battle, one that left her looking less than presentable and rather filthy herself, but it had been worth it. The place never looked better, and that in itself was satisfying.

She stretched lazily and yawned. Scrubbing woodwork all day was hard on her back, which had not been the same since her "accident" about a year earlier. She absentmindedly twisted the simple metal ring around her finger, a habit she had picked up. Upon waking up from her coma and confiding in her closest friends that she had been sent into the past her friend and later on, her doctor, told her it must have been a coma fantasy. A strange and oddly accurate coma fantasy, but a fantasy none the less.

However, there was still the ring that Tom Pullings had given her. She could not explain it away and found the whole thing to be a puzzling mystery. Her friends all worried, saying she had not been quite the same since the whole thing. For one thing she never dated anymore, her thoughts were how could she date when she was engaged to Tom? But of course, they all said he didn't exist. It was all so confusing, and it was not surprising that she was rather depressed for quite some time after the coma, but she was doing much better now. Her life was getting back to normal and she immersed herself in vocal training and work. Opera took discipline and style, and while Olivia had always loved to relax and enjoy herself as much as the next person, on the stage she was focused and the very picture of a disciplined performer. Things were almost as they had been before, except that she still couldn't bring herself to date. That would take longer, but in time.... maybe...

Olivia had been so lost in thought that she jumped when her phone rang. With a small laugh Olivia threw down her rag and went to the phone, picking it up and taking a seat at the kitchen table. "Hello?"

"Hello dear. It's your mother."

Olivia held back a groan. Her mother never shut up when she called and Olivia really was not in the mood to deal with her right now, granted she normally was not in the mood to deal with her mother, but she held back her annoyance and managed to sound cheerful. "Hi Mama."

"Did Sandi move out?" She asked, sounding a bit unhappy.

"Um... yeah this morning. Got a job in Detroit you know." Olivia said, picking up a pad and pen and making a shopping list while her mother talked, bracing herself for the onslaught of disapproval ahead.

"Are you going to be all right alone?" Her mother launched into her worries about a young lady living all alone in an apartment and all the horrible things that could happen, while Olivia occasionally added an 'uh huh' or a 'yeah' or an 'oh really', barely listening to a word her mother said. After about thirty minutes of this Olivia interrupted.

"Mama. I'll be fine. Lannie and Kate live right next door." She said. "And I have to go." Her mother's constant worrying was one of the reasons why this summer she was staying at school, rather than going home, not to mention her psychopathic grandmother lived at home as well, and Olivia certainly did not have the patience for that either.

"Oh? You have a date?" Her mother sounded extremely hopeful, she had always wanted Olivia to settle down and get married right out of high school, to the proper sort of man of course, preferably one with a medical degree, or a law practice. "You know, Janos is planning on transferring to-"

"No Ma. I have to go get food." Olivia said shortly, cutting her off before she could attempt to set her up on another date with her psycho Grandmother's friend's grandson, who according to them was a 'nice young boy of Hungarian descent' who needed a wife to support him in his future law practice. Olivia hated it when her family set her up, and could not stand Janos, an arrogant little jackass whose eyes had a tendency to settle on her cleavage rather than her face when she was talking. She determined that she had been patient enough listening to her mother and it was time to go before her mother managed to use guilt against her. "Got to go, it's getting dark. Love you. Bye."

"Bye dear! Be careful." Olivia did not reply to this, but hung up the phone.

She didn't care that she looked awful, it was only the grocery store. So she grabbed her keys off the hook and looked over her list, making sure everything was there. "Beautiful." She muttered. Looking out the window she noticed it was pouring down rain, and she sighed. "Oh well." She said to herself, knowing full well her refrigerator was empty, and left, prepared to be wet. Another boring, typical day almost gone.

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Tom Pullings had no idea how he came to be in what appeared to be a large grassy field. It was pouring down rain and rather dark with lightening occasionally filling the sky, and at first he thought he might be dreaming. He remembered going to sleep in his cabin on the Surprise, it had been a long day and he had not bothered to even take off his uniform or boots at all. Instead he just collapsed in his hammock hoping sleep would come quickly. However, it had not he recalled, and he remembered thinking of Olivia before he fell asleep. Ever since she died he had not been able to pass a day without thinking of her. Some days were worse than others, but always at night, as he went to sleep and lay there drifting off did thoughts of her drive him to tears. During the day he could distract himself. Something always needed his attention on the ship, however, at night, his mind would spin with thoughts of her. The worst was remembering her as she lay dying and him helpless to stop it. Olivia's death had been so difficult to bear, and the loss of the life they never had stung more than anything. He never knew that losing someone could be so painful, as if a part of him died with her and was now buried at sea as well. Perhaps, he thought looking around the dark field, perhaps he had died as well? It seemed too real to be the afterlife, and he did not recall dying at all. Nor did he remember feeling ill going to sleep, so he doubted he was dead.

"Mr. Pullings?" Tom turned to see young Lord Blakeney standing there looking terribly confused as well. "Sir? Where are we?" He asked.

Tom shook his head, "I'm afraid I have no idea." He replied to the young man.

"Well! Gentlemen! We appear to be quite misplaced." It was the Doctor, who was walking towards them with the Captain. They both also looked around quite confused, as the rain soaked their clothes. "Any ideas as to how we got here?"

"No sir." Blakeney replied.

Tom looked around to see if anyone else was here, and saw no one. "Are there others sir?" He asked the Captain.

"None that I've seen." He said, glancing around to get some bearings. "We can hardly continue to stand here in this weather however."

"There are lights in that direction." Tom said, nodding across the field.

Jack Aubrey nodded. "Perhaps we will find some shelter there then. And perhaps some answers."

As they went towards the lights, it was clear that they were quite unusual as well as the buildings that housed them. There were no backdoors, just windows with small balconies, several of them in fact. Stephen drew their attention to the lights, saying they were quite fascinating and he had never seen the like. None of them had, and Tom felt uneasy. This place was strange and seemed so very foreign. They walked around the buildings to where they suspected the front doorway be and found a well-lit black stone courtyard. It was filled with strange objects that had wheels, so they could be carriages, but yet, there was no place to fix a harness of any kind. The Doctor was immediately drawn to them, examining them in fascination. He started knocking on the front and peering through the windows to the interior, while the others stood by, watching and looking around in sheer confusion.

"Hey! Get away from my car!" A female voice broke through the storm. Tom looked up immediately. That voice was so familiar, but it couldn't be.

There he saw her, standing in an outdoor stairway with a large bag, dressed much like she had been when he first pulled her from the water so long ago, her hair was hardly neat and orderly, piled high on her head as if hastily pulled away from her face and she would argue that she was hardly at her best, but to Tom, she was the most beautiful sight in the world. He felt his heart leap into his throat and all else seemed to fade away and he stood there for a moment simply staring at her. Finally, he found his voice, which seemed weak and hardly his own anymore.

"Olivia?"

She froze, her mouth falling open in shock. She dropped her bag and stared back, unable to move. A moment ago she had been taking out her trash and saw someone poking around her car and was going to yell at them, but now, Tom was standing there in the rain calling her name. For a moment she thought she might be dreaming and prayed if she were dreaming, she would not wake up.

Suddenly she flew down the stairs and across the parking lot, covering the distance quickly despite the weak feeling in her knees. Tom caught her in his embrace and kissed her hungrily, as if his life depended on it. She was real. She was alive. How was this possible? All his thoughts disappeared as he kissed her, holding her tightly and feeling her lips against his, assuring him that she was in fact real.

It took a rather loud cough from the Captain to pull them apart. Tom turned a deep shade of red, still smiling and refusing to completely let go of Olivia, for fear of losing her once more.

Olivia glanced at the others quickly before locking her eyes on Tom once more. Happy tears were streaming down her cheek, mixing with the rain that had now completely soaked her. She could not believe he was here, holding her as she had so often dreamed of. Her mind spun with questions and she hardly knew where to begin.

"How did you get here?" She asked her eyes still wide with wonder.

Tom shook his head, "We have no idea." He replied, staring at her. "But how... Olivia, how is this possible? You were dead!"

Olivia merely gave a small laugh, "I can't explain that either. But I can tell you that you've somehow gotten to the future, my time."

Tom felt his mouth drop, he was about to ask another question when the Captain interrupted them. While the others had found their reunion quite heartwarming it was time for Jack to ask some questions. Stephen seemed quite fascinated with the thing Olivia had called a car earlier, and was back to looking at it in child-like fascination.

He cleared his throat rather loudly. "Miss Corin, it is good to see you again, but if you could be so kind as to explain-?"

Olivia turned her attention to the others for the first time, having almost completely forgotten their existence, and smiled, "Oh! Of course, I'll try to explain whatever I can." Olivia stepped back, taking Tom's hand. "But not here, it's pouring. Let's get inside." She looked at Stephen who was still tapping the hood of her car. "Doctor, I promise I'll let you look at my car later."

Maturin turned to look at her and smiled, "Of course my dear." He said.

They all followed her into one of the large buildings, where she stopped to pick up her bag and threw it into a large metal bin just outside the building. "There. Trash's out." She muttered, giving them a rather nervous smile.

Tom caught her hand again and gave her a quizzical look. "Olivia, you're shaking." He pointed out.

She laughed, "No kidding, you appeared out of no where with him banging on my car hood!" She replied, leading them up a flight of stairs and to a door with a six on the door. She opened it, wiping her feet on the mat at the door. "Welcome to my home." She said simply, leading them inside.

Tom glanced around, taking it in. It was a tidy little place, with strange objects he could not identify. Music was playing from somewhere, an opera, but he could not see any singers or musicians. Olivia picked up an object off the table and pointed it towards a black box on the shelves and the music stopped.

She smiled when she noticed they were all staring at her strangely, "Um… Wagner opera." She said as a way of an explanation. She glanced at the wet puddles they were leaving on her floor and sighed. "Oh… the carpet… um… come into the kitchen." She led them all into another room with even more strange objects and flipped a switch. The light came on which surprised them all and she could not help but laugh a bit. "Let me get you some towels and I promise I'll explain everything… well… as best I can anyway." She assured them, disappearing down the hall.

"Mr. Pullings, where are we and what did Miss Corin mean by her time?" Captain Aubrey demanded as soon as she had left.

Tom was watching her go down the hall from the kitchen door and turned back to the Captain, having been lost in thoughts of her and not paying the slightest attention to anything or anyone else in the building. "I'm sorry, sir, what did you say?"

Jack was not sure whether to laugh or become angry. He had no idea where he was, but he was certainly not on his ship where he should be, and he was not getting the answers he wanted fast enough.

Blakeney, who had been rather quiet through the whole thing and was quite pale at the moment, turned to the others with a look of shock on his face. "I thought she was dead sir." He said, not indicating which sir he was addressing but seeing as Tom was still looking down the hall at Olivia, and Stephen seemed to be occupied exploring and touching everything in the room muttering to himself, Jack decided to answer.

"As did we all, Mr. Blake- Stephen what are you doing?" His thought was interrupted when Stephen pressed something, a strange white object that was hanging from a cabinet that was mounted to the ceiling, and it made an odd beeping noise.

"I say!" He exclaimed, pressing another button. "How extraordinary!"

"Doctor, are you really sure you should be touching- what is that anyway?" Jack could not help but being curious himself, and he went over to look as well, touching one of the numbers and hearing the beep. "Whatever could this be used for?" He asked.

Blakeney came over as well, his natural curiosity bringing some color back into his cheeks. "What do you suppose this one does, sir?" He asked, pressing the bar like button that seems to stick out at the bottom.

Suddenly, what appeared to be a door swung open with force hitting Jack Aubrey clean on the nose. He stumbled back surprised and grabbed his nose, which subsequently began to bleed. "DAMN!" He shouted, backing out of the room and into the hallway.

"I say!" Stephen intrigued by this fascinating machine, stuck his head inside to further examine it, ignoring the poor bleeding Captain at the moment.

"Stephen! That thing is dangerous!" Jack declared, glaring at his friend.

The young midshipman was horrified, and repeatedly declared his apologies over and over again, his eyes wide. Will Blakeney then locked his hand behind his back and swore not to touch another thing until he quite new what the consequences would be.

Tom was finally pulled from his staring down the hall by the captain swearing and all the ruckus. "Sir? Are you all right?"

Jack glared at his first lieutenant in annoyance, more at the entire ridiculous situation than Pullings. "Do I bloody look all right man?" He demanded.

Olivia returned, carrying a stack of towels. "Okay, I'm going to have to wash my- What happened? DON'T BLEED ON THE CARPET!" She quickly dropped the towels and sprung on Jack with surprising speed, quickly pulling him in to the kitchen. "Over the SINK!" She demanded, positioning him over what he supposed was in fact, the sink. "And Doctor! Get your HEAD out of my MICROWAVE!"

Stephen jumped and back away from the machine. "Is that what it is called?" He asked mildly. "And heavens Jack, what did you do?" He finally noticed the bleeding Captain and went over to see to his nose.

"That damn machine is a menace." Jack grumbled. His nose was already beginning to stop bleeding, though he imagined he would have quite the bruise in the morning. "What the devil does it do anyway?"

"It heats food." Olivia replied, resisting the urge to tell Stephen not to use her rather nice bath towel to clean up Jack. "And the door is broken." She said, shutting it. "Normal I put a hand here to stop it from swinging so hard." She said, demonstrating the proper way to open the microwave door.

Jack took no notice of this, he was still grumbling over his smashed nose and was quite vexed that Miss Corin seemed more concerned for her carpets than his injury. It had stopped bleeding, thankfully, but it was still quite painful.

Olivia noticed Jack's bad mood while picking up the towels and handing one to Blakeney and one to Tom. "Captain Aubrey, do you want some ice for your nose?"

"Ice?" Stephen looked up quite interested. "Where would you get ice?" He looked around as if it would magically appear out of thin air, which quite frankly would not have surprised any of them after all they'd seen today.

Olivia tried to hide her amusement and went to the cabinet to get a plastic bag, then she opened her freezer and quite simply retrieved ice, knowing full well all four of her guests where watching her with fascination. She then took the towel Jack was holding to her nose (trying not to cringe at her nice towel now stained with blood from his nose) and wrapped the ice in it.

"Hold that there for about twenty minutes, it should keep the swelling down." Olivia explained to the confused captain.

"I say! It's awfully cold in this box!" Stephen exclaimed.

Olivia looked up to see the Doctor with his head in her freezer. "That's my freezer… and if you don't mind could you shut the door?"

Stephen obviously wasn't paying attention, "Ice, foods that appear to be frozen, and something called chunky monkey?" He pulled out the carton with interest. "What a fascinating machine! How does it work?" He asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"Um…" Olivia had no idea how to answer that. No one had ever asked her how a freezer worked. "I'm not sure… it just does…" She replied, handing him a towel and taking her ice cream to put back in the freezer. "If you gentlemen would like to sit down in the other room I'll explain everything in a minute, as soon as I clean up the sink a bit."

"Very well, but I want an explanation." Jack Aubrey glared at the young woman. He was not in a very good mood finding himself in a strange place with machines he didn't understand and having his nose smashed by a… what did she call it? Ah.. microwave did not particularly please him. He went out to sit on the comfortable looking furniture in the other room, followed by Stephen and Will Blakeney.

Tom paused in the kitchen a moment as Olivia dug under the sink for a rag to clean up the counter and sink with. He was not sure what to say to her, but he had so much he wanted to say. Part of him was still waiting to wake up. He had dreamed of her so often it made it hard to believe this was real. He stood awkwardly for a moment, just staring at her, then cleared his throat. "May I help?"

Olivia looked up from where she was wiping the counter with a smile, dropping her rag. "I'm done." She went over to him, her eyes searching him for a moment. "I've missed you." She said, taking his hand in hers. "You have no idea how much I missed you, Tom."

He leaned over and gave her another kiss, pulling her close. "About as much as I've missed you, perhaps?" He tightened his embrace, never wanting to let go lest something horrible befall her again. "I thought I'd lost you."

Olivia buried her face in his chest, crushing her fears and worries against him. "Everyone told me you weren't real. That it was only a dream, but I knew you had to be real. I could never even imagine someone as wonderful as you."

Tom tightened his embrace, swallowing hard. "You were in my every dream, Olivia. Promise me you will never do that again? Promise me I will never lose you again?" He begged.

Olivia was about to reply when her apartment door burst open.

"Livie! Hey… what the crap?" A woman shouted from the other room. "Who the Hell are you people?"

"I beg your pardon?" Stephen replied to the strange young woman who had burst in the room without so much as a warning. She was an odd sort of creature. Tall and thin with dark hair streaked with red. The red most certainly could not be natural.

Tom raised an eyebrow and looked at Olivia for an answer.

"Kate." She replied with a small smile, "A friend of mine." With that Olivia let go of Tom and went out into the room.

"Livie, what the crap?" Kate demanded. "Are you hiring strippers for Steph's welcome home party that dress up like that Hornblower guy she's always going on about? Because she's not coming back until January you know. And that one is too young to be legal." She stated with a nod towards poor confused Blakeney.

"No Kate. And Stephanie would murder us if we hired strippers for her." Olivia replied calmly.

"Then what the Hell is going on?" Kate demanded.

Olivia opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted by Jack, who was quite infuriated by this point.

"Just one moment Miss Corin! You owe us an explanation! If anyone gets to know what the Hell is going on it is us!" He protested, rather loudly, jumping to his feet. "Wait your turn madam!" He said with a glare to Kate.

Kate however, was not easily intimidated and merely glared at the large naval Captain. "Who died and made you King?"

"I beg your pardon?" Jack was slightly taken aback by the young woman.

"You heard me!"

"HEY!" Olivia interrupted. "Kate, Captain Aubrey, sit down!" She ordered, not wanted a fight to break out between the two mismatched figures attempting to glare each other down.

The Doctor however, looked as if he was on the breaking point of hysterical laughter, and pulled his friend to sit with much effort. Tom remained in the doorway of the kitchen, unsure of what to do, while Kate froze, then sank obediently into one of the beanbag chairs on the floor. Will Blakeney stared at her wide-eyed, and Olivia sighed.

"Where should I begin?" She muttered to herself, rubbing her temple as if she had a headache and trying to think of the best way to explain the situation to everyone.

Tom crept forward and gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Why don't you tell them what you told me on the Surprise, dear?" He suggested.

"Good idea." Olivia replied. "Kate, zone out for a second."

"No problem." Came the reply, as Kate began to flip through a magazine she pulled off the coffee table.

Olivia tried not to roll her eyes at her friend and directed Tom to the sofa as well. "Okay, well… a little over a year ago I was rock climbing and took a fall, but instead of hitting ground I hit ocean. Bit odd considering I was no where near water." She sighed, knowing that she wasn't making sense. "When you took me aboard your ship Captain Aubrey, I had fallen into the past, into your time."

Jack opened his mouth to voice how ridiculous this sounded but was silenced when Olivia held up a hand.

"I know it sounds crazy but it's true." She said calmly. "Anyway… when I… when I…" She swallowed hard, suddenly it had become rather hard to speak. "When I died, I ended up back here, in my own time. 2004. I can't explain why it happens, I can't explain when, where, or how. All I know is something made me travel through time, and now you're doing the same thing."

"So… we're in the future? 2004 you said?" Stephen asked in wonder.

Olivia nodded, "Yes, in Newberry, Virginia. Where I go to school."

Suddenly, Kate let out a gasp of what could only have been mortal pain and grabbed her heart, flopping to one side. The men all jumped to their feet startled and stared at her in shock.

Olivia however calmly turned to her friend and raised an eyebrow, "Paris Hilton's dress on page 26?" She asked.

"It's horrible!" Kate proceeded to clutch her chest as if in pain. "Burn it! Burn it! It pains me!"

Olivia sighed, while normally she found her fashion designing friend's antics amusing she was also well aware of the looks of shock on all four of the very confused faces witnessing her insanity. "Kate Peters could you not at least ATTEMPT to be normal around people you've never met?"

Kate paused, tossing the magazine across the room and noticing the shocked expressions on everyone but Olivia. "Sorry. So are you going to tell me what's going on now? Because I was trying to listen in earlier and was confused."

"I think there's not a single person in this room who is not confused right now, Kate. For once you are not alone." Olivia teased, picking up the magazine Kate had thrown and setting it on the table once more. "Remember about a year ago when I came out of the coma? And how I told you I went to the past on a ship and fell in complete love with a man?"

"Yeah… something Pullings." Kate said with a slight snicker remembering how much that name amused her.

Olivia smiled slightly, moving to stand with Tom, taking his hand quite possessively, as if she never wanted to really let go again and wanted everyone to know how much she loved him. "Meet Tom Pullings, Kate."

Kate's jaw dropped, "Are you serious?"

"Very."

"And he's…"

"Uh huh."

"So they're…"

"Yep."

"And you're really…"

"Yes."

"And you guys are gonna…"

"Hope so."

"Holy shit."

Tom blinked in confusion at the conversation that had just seemed to occur between the two women. He desperately hope they would start finishing their sentences soon because he had absolutely no idea what they were talking about.

"So if he's your darling Tom then who are they?" Kate said with a nod towards the others. Tom held back a smile and could not help but wonder what exactly Olivia had told her friend about him. He also could not help but be slightly amused by this woman's odd manner. Kate seemed to have a carefree manner that reminded him of a butterfly, flitting from one thing to the next never pausing for long to consider her next move.

"Kate Peters, meet Captain Jack Aubrey, Doctor Stephen Maturin, and Will Blakeney." Olivia said, introducing each of them.

Kate smiled, "Nice to meet you."

Jack was still slightly miffed by Kate, not to mention he was in a bad mood in general, but he did respond with a civil nod to the young woman.

Will smiled, still looking overwhelmed, but did manage a polite "How do you do Miss Peters?"

"It's Kate. Miss Peters makes me feel like I'm old." She replied, unable to help her grin at the rather personable preteen before her.

Stephen gave her a civil bow, "Good evening." He greeted.

"Hi." Kate replied, before blowing onto the next subject. "So… you've got an apartment full of British sailors from the 19th century… what are you going to do?"

"Keep them here of course." Olivia said simply. "I have no idea how they got here, neither do they, and I have no idea how to send them back." She paused for a moment, thinking. "I came back to my time… so I guess we'll just have to wait it out and see what happens." Olivia admitted she secretly hoped they would not go back. She knew it was completely selfish but she wanted Tom to stay with her. She was still holding his hand tightly in her own, and she gave it a subconscious squeeze.

Tom felt her squeeze his hand and wondering what it was that troubled her suddenly. He had to admit he liked that she had intertwined her fingers with his own, and he was more than happy to return the grip. He wanted nothing more than to escape the others and be alone with her.

"Surely you do not live alone?" He asked, suddenly realizing that four extra people might not please her father, or whoever she lived with.

Olivia nodded, "I used to live with my friend Sandi, but she got a job offer elsewhere and moved out. So right now it's just me."

"What of your family?" He asked, curiously. An unwed woman, further more an attractive and young woman, living alone seemed odd to him.

"Oh…. my mother and brother live up in West Virginia with my grandmother and brother, and my father…" She trailed off, seeming uncomfortable.

"Is an asshole." Kate finished for her firmly.

"Kate!"

"What?" She asked innocently. "It's nothing you haven't said yourself!"

Olivia shook her head, smiling slightly. "I haven't seen my father in sometime." She explained to Tom. "We don't exactly… get along."

"Livie's family hates her." Kate supplied.

"They do not!" Olivia protested. "They just like to… torture me and put me into therapy for the rest of my life… but one of my Aunts likes me!"

Tom raised an eyebrow, surprised by the information Kate was sharing. "Your family hates you?" He asked, wondering how anyone could possibly hate Olivia.

Olivia merely shrugged as if it were nothing. "Can we talk about this later?" She changed the subject. "Right now there's more pressing issues at hand."

"Right." Kate walked a circle around the four confused men, appraising them with the eye of someone who spent her whole life picking out and designing clothes. It made them all rather uncomfortable as she did this as they felt like she was staring a bit more than they would like. Kate paused when she got around to Tom's backside and smirked at Olivia. "Cute butt, way to pick him, Liv."

Tom's face immediately turned bright red, "I… I beg your pardon?" He dropped Olivia's hand, feeling as if he were on display and faced Kate with his eyes wide.

Olivia burst into laughter at both her friend's comment and Tom's reaction to it. "It's okay Tom. She was complimenting you…. Checking you out, yes, but it's a compliment." She then turned to Kate with an equally wide smirk. "And you keep your eyes off his backside. He's mine."

Kate merely laughed, "Fair enough." She then turned slightly serious, which was about as serious as Kate ever got really. "Okay, listen. If they're going to stay here they need clothes right? I'm thinking the best bet in general is the Goodwill and Wal-Mart for like… underwear and socks and crap. In the meantime, Rick and Mark might be able to hand over some of their old stuff." Kate glanced at them all again. "Though it might be too small for the Captain, and too short for Tom, and too tall for Stephen, and certainly won't fit Will… okay you know what? That won't work." Kate answered her own question, thinking out loud. "I'll just run up to Goodwill now on my own, I'm sure I can just spot at the sizes, and if it doesn't fit I'll make another trip and add the rejects to my fabric pile."

"Kate, you are an angel." Olivia said with a smile.

"Yeah, thank me by making them all take showers will you? No offense guys, but you stink!" Kate declared.

"Well Kate, there's not exactly showers on 19th century sailing ships." Olivia defended them. However, she secretly agreed. They did smell a bit and did need showers. "But I'll show them."

"Thanks." Kate then headed for the door in her usual carefree breeze.

"You need money?" Olivia asked.

"No… you can pay me back when I get in." Kate called over her shoulder as she left. "Bye guys!" She shouted, shutting the door behind her.

Once she was gone they all stood a moment in silence. Olivia shifted on her feet in the silence, Kate had a way of thinking out loud that while rarely made sense to other people, did in fact fill the room with noise and now that she was gone it seemed quiet.

She sighed, running a hand through her messy hair. She had no idea what to do with the four of them and they had no idea what to do with themselves it seemed. Olivia collected the towels, deciding to take this situation one step at a time she turned back to her guests. "Well, let me give you a tour and then you can get cleaned up, by then Kate should be back with some clothes and we can decide where to go from there."

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A/N: So there you are! An early Christmas present! Or holiday present for people who don't celebrate Christmas! Either way… I hope it's a welcome present! Kate's not based off of anyone I know, but she's such fun to write. Later on there will be some people based off of people I know… don't worry… I asked permission to steal them!

Miss Flossy: Sorry… no Mowett… but he does play a role in the next one… whoa I'm getting ahead of myself. Geez! Haha hope you like Olivia's friend's name… that's totally a coincidence by the way, I had started writing this in I think July… haha before I'd finished the first one… I always get ahead of myself. Anyway, Mowett is neglected and I apologize, but I'm sure you'll give him plenty of fun to make up for it!

The guys are all confused… poor them… but Tom has his Olivia back! Yay them! But Kate scares them all…. poor them… what will happen next? Wait and read!!

Have I ever mentioned that I like reviews of all kinds? Oh I haven't? Well, reviews of all kinds are welcome!

By the way... 's new little document window won't let me draw lines... it keeps bugging my computer.... grrr... so my apologies if it's hard to see my breaks.... I tried!


	2. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Every morning when she woke up the first thing Olivia did was go for a run. It did not matter the weather or the temperature or what she had to do that day, running woke her up and energized her and on mornings when ice and snow made it impossible she never felt as though she could focus properly. Olivia loved to run. She loved the feel of the asphalt beneath her feet and the sound of her breath in the still morning air. It always gave her time to herself just to think and feel free of whatever responsibilities she had to face that day. On the pavement she could just run, no worries. This particularly morning was no exception, despite the minor fact that four gentlemen from 1806 now occupied her apartment and had been sleeping when she left.

It had been a long day yesterday. She and Kate had managed to find them clothes and show them how to work most of the appliances in her apartment so she didn't have to worry about any repeats of the infamous 'microwave incident'. The sleeping arrangements had presented something of a problem. Olivia had managed to make Tom turn beet red when she suggested he just share her bed. She always forgot that young ladies of their time were rather… well… uptight about that sort of thing, and he was easily caught off guard by her forward behavior. So Tom ended up on the futon that her old roommate had left in the extra bedroom, sharing the room was Blakeney on an air mattress Kate had loaned her. Stephan and Jack occupied the two sofas in the living room, and much to Olivia's dismay last night Jack's snoring seemed to fill the whole place with a distinct snort that made it very difficult for her to fall asleep.

Of course, to be honest that was not the only reason she was having a hard time sleeping. Olivia had very badly wanted to stay with Tom that night and had to admit she was disappointed he had declined her offer. Of course, she had not exactly made it at the best time. Thinking on it, she realized there was no way Tom would agree in front of the others. It just was not in his personality to be so obvious in these things, and maybe when they were alone….

"Gah!" Olivia groaned, attempting to banish the thought from her head. That should be the last thing on her mind right now. She pushed herself into a faster and harder run, attempting to force the thoughts from her mind. The truth was Olivia had not been with anyone since her whole time travel experience when she met Tom, and that was a year ago at least. There was no was around it. The girl was horny.

It was not just that of course, she had truly missed Tom. She loved him. She knew she loved him. Olivia had promised to spend the rest of her life with him and she wanted to know every aspect of him. She had wanted to be in his arms and feel warm and safe and above all else loved. She had wanted him with her to ensure her that he was really there. But, Tom had told her in a soft voice when they were alone in the kitchen a moment that they should wait, "at least," Tom had said with a strange look and smile that she could not quite read, "Until we are actually wed." It was a sweet thought, but for someone with a past like Olivia's it was completely out of date. They did not know when they would actually get married. They had not discussed it yet. And Olivia knew that him being under the same roof as her and not being with him would make her even more impatient.

With a sigh she increased her pace, pushing herself to what she knew was her limit. Her muscles were going to protest later but she didn't care. The worse her muscles screamed from her hard running the less of a chance she would jump on Tom the minute he walked in the room.

It was getting hot outside. In fact, Olivia could see the heat waves radiating off the street. However, she always had to push her limits and as soon as her apartment complex was in sight, she put all her energy into a burst of speed, spiriting as fast as she could back home, despite the weak feeling in her legs that made them feel like jelly as she went. Olivia had always been athletic, and always pushed herself to the limit. It was part of what made her a rock climber, and she never backed down from a challenge, despite the painful protest of her screaming lungs and exhausted muscles.

When she reached her building she raced up the stairs, taking them two at a time, and burst into her apartment, collapsing on the floor unable to take another step. Kicking the door shut with her foot she lay on the floor a minute, giving thanks to the inventor of air conditioning and struggling to regain her breath.

"Olivia?"

She tilted her head back and looked up, seeing an upside down Tom because she had yet to get the energy to lift her head, much less sit up. "Hi." She panted, still out of breath from her long, and hard run.

"Are you all right?" Tom asked, clearly concerned. He had woken to find her nowhere in the apartment and had immediately worried. What if something happened to her? Where could she be? He could not bear to lose her again. Then she burst into the place like the devil himself had chased her and collapsed to the floor. He wondered if she was ill and knelt beside her, helping her to sit.

"Mmph." Olivia allowed him to help her up, slightly amused by his obvious worry. She was regaining her breath, though was still flushed and sweaty. "I'm fine. I was running."

"From who?" Tom asked sharply, worried someone might have threatened her.

Olivia stared at him in confusion for a second and then laughed, "No one, Tom. Everything is fine. I always go for a run in the morning. It's a great way to wake up." She said, making a move to stand and get herself some water.

Tom quickly rose and helped her to her feet again, getting a better look at her clothing. 'Good Lord, she's barely dressed!' He thought. She was wearing extremely short trousers and a shirt that left her shoulders bare, save tiny straps, and clung to her figure leaving little to his imagination. He could see her chest heaving as she struggled to regain her breath, and even though she was quite flushed and sweating from the heat of the morning sun she was still the loveliest creature he had ever imagined. It took a great deal of will power for him not to grab her and take her on the spot.

Olivia smiled appreciatively, "Thanks."

Tom stared at her a moment, not releasing her arm. There was so much he wanted to tell her, so much he wished to say, but for the life of him he was unable to find the words. He pulled her closer to him, feeling her warm body close to him and closed his eyes. Her invitation last night had been so tempting, and had it not been for the presence of his Captain, the Doctor, and young Mr. Blakeney he had to admit he would have probably accepted. He was however, expected to behave as an officer and a gentleman, and seeing as how the offer had been made rather publicly, he had no choice but to decline.

However, at the moment the others were taking the air on the small balcony, and they were alone. He kissed her with all the passion he could possibly express, allowing the kiss to do what his words could not. Olivia was quite receptive to this action and met his passion with an equal fury. The couple was so involved in one another that neither of the heard the door open.

"Whoa! Hand check!" A male voice shouted from the door, entering the apartment and jumping to plop on the sofa.

Tom jumped in shock and quickly turned from Olivia to see a young man sprawled comfortably on her sofa with an air that told Tom this was not his first visit to Olivia's home. He turned back to Olivia his eyes full of questions.

Olivia rolled her eyes, stepping away from Tom and over to the man to give him a slap on the back of his head. "Rick Apperson do you ever knock?"

"Well, you're normally not kissing some odd looking dude, oh wait… you are." He shot back with a cheeky grin.

"I am not!" Olivia protested, causing Tom to raise an eyebrow as he watched the exchange. "Now what do you want?"

"Aw. Cutting straight to the chase Livie? Not even a smootchie smootch for your favorite boy toy?" The man, Rick, then proceeded to leap back over the sofa and lift Olivia off the floor around the waist. "Come on Liv. You know you love me."

Tom's eyes widened at the display, and was in pure shock, unable to move for a brief moment as Rick was carrying on with his future wife in a most indecent manner.

Olivia rolled her eyes again. "News to me, Rick. Now put me down before I'm forced to hurt you."

"Kiss first, Livie." Rick teased, refusing to put her down. "You know you want to. Why pretend otherwise?"

Olivia was about to say something but never got the chance to open her mouth. Tom had recovered from the initial shock and was obviously furious.

"I beg your pardon, sir, release her now!" He said in a cold, stern voice, Olivia swore he was nearly growling.

Rick paused, surprised, obviously unsure if he should take Tom's tone seriously. He looked up at Olivia frozen in action. "Livie?"

"You better put me down, Rick." Olivia said calmly, worried about the look Tom was not only giving Rick, but she as well.

He did so, releasing Olivia but kept the same teasing grin. "Next time, babe."

Olivia went back to Tom and gave his hand a squeeze. He was still glaring daggers at Rick, which was not good. "Tom, dear, this is Rick. Who lives across the hall and-"

"Is her secret lover!" Rick interrupted with a wink at Olivia.

"And has a serious problem with mixing fantasy with reality." Olivia continued, glaring at her neighbor, and worried that Tom had released her hand and looked extremely hurt. She best get rid of her unwanted guest as soon as possible. "Did you need something Rick?"

"Um…. yeah… I'm out of salt. Do you have any?" He asked.

Olivia went into her kitchen retrieving the salt and tossing the container at Rick. "Go nuts." She said casually.

"Oh I am nuts, Livie, you know I'm ALL nuts." He grinned, catching the salt. "Care to investigate?"

"Um… let me think… no. In case you haven't noticed Rick, I've already got company, so could you please leave already?" Olivia asked bluntly, wanting to explain the whole Rick fiasco to Tom, who was staring at Olivia in disbelief, shock, and hurt.

Rick nodded, "Use protection kiddies." He said. "And you, my friend are a lucky man." He said to Tom, a wicked look in his eyes and he grinned at Olivia. "I speak from experience and on behalf of half the guys in Newberry in saying that she's a little wild thing in bed."

"Apperson!" Olivia glared icily at him. She was not amused, not in the least, and was quite ready to kill the young man if he did not leave. He was digging her deeper and deeper into a hole and she did not appreciate his sense of humor at the moment.

Rick had known Olivia Corin long enough to know he had pushed her too far and best leave now before he had a seriously huge dent in his head. "Okay, okay, I'm going." He turned and left, pausing in the doorway. "Later, **_lover_**." He teased, before slamming the door behind him and dashing back to his apartment, knowing there was a good chance she was chasing after him.

However, Olivia had bigger problems at the moment, and slowly turned to face Tom, worried about what he may think.

Tom stared at her wordlessly. It seemed to him she had found someone to fill his place, and he was quite familiar with her and her home. He was not quite sure how to react or what to say. However, he began to feel quite jealous and his eyes narrowed angrily. He had known she was forward in her affections, and what Rick had said about Olivia and half the men in the town certainly plagued him. He did not like the thought of her being with anyone else one bit, and felt suddenly possessive of her. "He seemed rather familiar with your apartment." Tom commented coolly.

"Well, he's always coming over here for one reason or another." Olivia said, trying to act as if nothing had happened. "Tom, are you okay?"

Tom was clenching his fists, he had never felt so jealous in his life and his jealousy was making him furious with Olivia. He needed to get out and think a moment. It was hard enough being in the future, but learning the woman he loved more than anything was quite free with apparently several young men was too much. "No I am not 'okay', Miss Corin." He said angrily.

His sudden formality stung her and she reached for his hand, wanting to explain everything to him. That Rick had been joking and teasing her, and that she had not been with anyone since she met Tom and he could never have any competition.

However, he jerked his hand away from her, "I suppose I should not have expected loyalty." He said harshly. "We were separated by 200 years at least."

"Tom…" Olivia was about to protest, argue that she had been absolutely loyal. Quite frankly he was making her angry himself now. How dare he judge her? But she kept her temper in check, wanting to explain things to him first, and then if he was still angry she would then argue with him.

However, she never got the chance. At that moment the others came in off the balcony. Stephen excited at sighting a blue jay, Blakeney sharing his exclamations, and Jack looking somewhat bored but at least in a better mood than last night. They noticed Tom and Olivia glaring at one another.

"Mr. Pullings? Miss Corin? What's amiss?" Stephen asked, innocently.

Tom refused to have this conversation in front of them, and he also could not stand being in the room with Olivia at the moment. He was too jealous, too angry over her apparent infidelities, and so he turned and headed to the door without a word, leaving the apartment, saying over his shoulder that he was going to get some air and shutting the door behind him with a snap.

Olivia stood perfectly still a moment, as if he had slapped her in the face rather than speak harshly to her. Anger began to build up at his sharp accusations, and now he had stormed out like a child. He was not going to walk away from her. Not like that. He had no right to speak to her so. She had waited an entire damn year for him, even though he had been in the past and everyone said he was not real, everyone thought she was crazy and she still stayed loyal to him. After all that he was not going to get away with treating her this way.

Without so much as a word to the others Olivia suddenly stormed out after him, slamming the apartment door behind her with a loud crash that shook the lamp on the table by the door.

Blakeney watched her go, completely confused by both of their anger and looked to the Doctor and Captain, his young eyes wide with surprise at their behavior. "What just happened sir?" He asked innocently.

"I have no idea, Lord Blakeney." Jack replied, surprised to see Tom so angry, apparently angry with Olivia, and judging by her reaction, he was not going to hear the end of whatever it was anytime soon.

"Apparently," The Doctor said, sitting on the sofa at leisure. "We missed something." He observed mildly. He however, was not particularly worried and was quite certain that whatever it was they would work out. No doubt a mild lovers quarrel, one that probably stemmed from Olivia being a stubborn and emotional creature he suspected. "Now," He continued, looking around the room in interest. "I should very much like to study this television machine more. Jack, pray, where is the remote?"

* * *

A/N: Everyone throw rocks at Tom! He's being a jealous fool of a man! He's also ticked Olivia off… which is never a good thing…. Haha only there a day and they're already fighting. Shesh. Sorry about such a short chapter but yet again I've written a story that's impossible to break up… gr.

Gabrielle: Haha I hope it is funny. It amuses me anyway. I'm glad you've been enjoying my junk. Thanks for reviewing!

Calliope-Elven-Agent: AHHHH!!!! is hugged to death I can't right more if I can't breath silly! Haha glad to be back! Hope you enjoy my insanity! And as always, thanks for reviewing.

Itha Arrowland: Thanks! I'm going I promise! Just not very quickly…. Life tends to get in the way. Thanks for finding my sense of humor amusing!

Anyana: Haha ooh I wish Santa would bring me a Pullings… though I don't think he'd do so hot in most of the classes I'm taking next semester. Something tells me American Foreign Policy will throw him…

Tom: We should just fire at them all!

Me: Dude… it's about what the Americans are doing… not what YOU want to do to them.

Tom: Oh… well… they should surrender to us!

rolls eyes Anyway… he'd still be nice to have around for other things… mwahahaha!

Happy to be back and hoping to get much writing done over my break… especially this week because I have one more class Friday… but I've turned in all my work… so all I have to do is pack to go home and everyone I know is gone so… writing! Thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed my short chapter!

Wing Pikepaw: Haha yes I agree, this is scary. There's just so much oddness in this story it's insane. But that's me for you! I know this chapter wasn't so great but stick with me! Insanity is promised!

Ithildi: Haha I had to put Stephen in this story… can you imagine what he'll do when he finds the discovery channel?? Hehe! Just too much insanity to ignore! Thanks for reviewing and hope you stick with me through this plotless maze!

Miss Flossy: Haha don't worry… they get to use their uniforms eventually… they'll also get into trouble in other ways… haha. And lucky for them Olivia's in an apartment and not a dorm… so they have a kitchen and won't have to eat at the dining hall… at least not often… Haha and Mowett's taking care of things on the ship eh? Is he making the entire crew speak only in rhyme? Haha poor guys… anyway thanks for reviewing and can't wait to read your sequel! Sounds interesting to say the least hehe..

Serena: Haha here's the next chapter! These updates may tend to take time because for one thing I'm not as far along in this story as I'd like due to real life getting in the way… another thing is I'm just plain slow. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Eldarwen999: Haha and hopefully I can waste my time over the holiday writing this stuff! Hope you liked the chapter and thanks for reviewing.

HumbleMaster: Sorry to keep you waiting… I could have kept you waiting longer though as I'm not nearly as far in this as I should be… hope you continue to enjoy the story!

Sarah: Haha you silly person! You're supposed to read the chapter before reviewing sill! Actually I don't really care I'm just happy you're so excited to see this here! Hope you still enjoyed it after you read the chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

TheMusingFit: Haha I'm glad you love Kate. She'll be showing up a lot methinks as she's one of Olivia's really good friends. She has a lot of crazy friends and it'll get confusing… but hey! The girl is popular! Hope this chapter lived up to your expectations! Cheers!

Agnes: Haha I'm glad crazy Kate is so popular. She's just a fun carefree girl. Hehe. I'm updating as fast as I can… trying to stay ahead you know? So hang in there! Thanks for reviewing!

Elessar King: Haha yes I know… ewwww…. Kissing….. All My Pullingses is on again! But since she's not a Pullings yet would it be All My Pullings? I'm confused. Sadly I don't get to show up until January… sigh… but when I do it's going to be mad! Whoo! Thank you for killing document manager. Have some ice cream. Mmmmm ice cream. We are so random indeed. Next chapter has more randomness I PROMISE! This chapter was bad. I'm ashamed. Until next time m'dear, do mind your head!

Hillary: Haha they are in a VERY unbelievable situation but I'm glad you think I'm doing a good job keeping them believable… haha so far…. That can always change I suppose! Hope you enjoyed this short and rather pointless chapter and thanks for reviewing!

Wow thanks for the reviews guys! I feel loved! Hugs from Pullings all around! And if he's busy Jack will have to fill in! See? Isn't reviewing my story well worth it? You get hugs from Pullings and Jack! Well my stomach is protesting not eating all morning so until next update: Happy Holidays!


	3. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Meanwhile, Olivia had managed to catch up to Tom. Considering he had no idea where he was and had enough sense to know that it could be dangerous for him to wander too far alone in this strange new time he was currently trapped in, it had not been particularly hard nor had taken very long. Certainly not enough time for either of their tempers to cool, and so when she caught up to him just outside the woods across from her apartment complex, she was still quite annoyed with him to say the least.

"Tom!" She called out as soon as she saw him, her tone sharp and dangerous. "Thomas Pullings don't you dare walk away from me!" She demanded.

He paused, his back still to her as she came closer. "I have nothing more to say, Olivia, and I would like a moment alone if you please." He said, keeping his voice low and even. His tone was still cold, but inside he was torn apart. He still loved her deeply, and had thought of nothing else since the day she had supposedly died, and now to find such things out about her was painful.

Olivia however had no intention of giving him his moment alone. In fact she grabbed his arm and forced him to turn with surprising strength, her eyes narrowed in anger. "Stop it Tom." She ordered. "Stop being so overdramatic. You haven't even heard what I have to say to explain what just happened and you immediately jumped to conclusions. A conclusion by the way that is untrue! How could you possibly think I've been sleeping with other men? Do you think so little of me? Do you know what I've been going through since I came back here?" Olivia threw up her hands, angry. She had opened the floodgates and now she could not hold back her thoughts any longer. She was never one to admit weakness, and had not wanted to tell him any of this, but she could not help herself as she spoke, words tumbling on top of each other.

"Everyone told me you weren't real! Everyone told me to get on with my life, go back to how things were because you were only a dream! They all thought I was crazy. They all thought I had lost it completely and at times I even began to think so too! They sent me to psychologists to hear all this bull shit about how I was traumatized by my fall and it brought back some repressed memories from childhood or some damn thing. I tried to get over you, tried to get my life back to where I had never known you so I simply would not feel this damn emptiness, but nothing worked! Damn it Tom! You are the only person I could ever love."

Tears were falling now, and she wiped them away furiously, angry at herself for crying and telling him all this. "I thought about killing myself a while there, you know. Not to die, but to get to you. I thought… I thought maybe if I died again, I would be sent back to you. I was willing to try anything to get back. Anything." She was calmer now, and felt her anger recede as she spoke. She had not spoken of this to anyone, not even that psychologist her friends insisted she see those first couple months, those really bad months when she had been barely a shell of herself.

Olivia sighed, looking away, her hands were shaking now and she had no idea what brought this sudden confessional on, but she could not stop now that she had started. She had to finish what she wanted to say. "But then I realized that you wouldn't have wanted that. It was a miracle I was alive in the first place. I remember dying you know, back on the _Surprise_, something had given me a second chance to live and I knew you would not want me to throw that away, even if it meant not being with you. So, I tried to carry on, I focused everything into my studies, my vocal training, but I still could not be with any other man besides you. No one could ever replace you Tom, and I have no desire to try."

She wiped her eyes, furious with herself for saying all of that. She had not intended it at all, and suddenly she remembered she was angry with Tom and her eyes narrowed once more. "So don't you dare jump to conclusions, Tom Pullings, and don't you dare judge me." She snapped.

Tom stared at Olivia in silence, his eyes softened and he was sorry he had ever even thought of being angry with her. She was shaking slightly with her emotions, and her green eyes which he so loved were laced with unshed tears. "Oh Olivia…" He quickly pulled her to him and locked her in a protective embrace. He hated seeing her hurt in any way, and seeing her in tears was dreadful. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… I overreacted. I just…" He stopped with a sigh, wiping her tears from her eyes gently and kissing her softly on her lips. "I do not want to lose you again, Olivia."

She gave him a small smile, capturing his hand on her cheek and kissing it. "I'm yours forever, Tom. You know that."

He returned her smile, still feeling guilty for getting so mad. "I am truly sorry I was so cold to you, Olivia." He apologized again. "I don't quite know what came over me." He admitted.

Olivia shrugged, forgiving him with a light hearted air. "You were likely surprised. People in this time behave differently than what you're used to. I understand, and know how you feel." She then snickered slightly, "Though I suppose I should assure you there is absolutely nothing going on with me and Rick Apperson. We dated once, about four years ago, and it was a mutual break-up. He does like to tease me however, both he and his roommate."

"Oh." Was all Tom could think of to say, he frowned slightly. "Do you have many of those… those former…"

"Do I have many ex-boyfriends?" Olivia asked lightly. "Well, several to be honest. None of which were ever anything serious, if you must know, and all of which I dated long before I met you." She grinned, wrapping her arms around him. "And none of which come even close to you, Tom."

Tom could not help but smile. He could hardly hold any sort of grudge against her for very long, she had an annoying way of making him smile and forget why he was angry in the first place. "Good." He replied, kissing her once more. "It's very warm out here, shall we go back inside?"

Olivia's eyes suddenly lit up, "You're hot?"

"Yes… why?" He did not quite trust that look.

Olivia merely grabbed his hand, "Come on!" She insisted quite childishly, pulling him along after her back towards the apartment buildings. She led him to the pool quite insistently and opened the gate with a grin. "This will cool you off." She declared.

"What? What will?" Tom was still confused, watching her take off her shoes and socks and throwing them under a chair.

"This." With a grin she dove into the water quite gracefully, surfacing still grinning. "Come on Tom! The water's perfect!"

Tom hesitated, "Olivia, are you sure this is a good idea?"

Olivia splashed him, sending a spray of water that was in fact quite refreshing.

"Olivia!" Tom jumped back, amused.

Olivia merely laughed and ducked under to swim to the other side of the pool, waiting for Tom. "Hurry up!"

Tom, with a wicked grin went to remove his shoes and then his shirt so only his trousers would get wet and not all of his clothing. "I'll get you for that, Miss Corin!" He declared, jumping into the water himself. It did feel rather nice, but the water smelled odd and stung his eyes. However, he ignored it and splashed at Olivia, laughing.

While Tom, unlike many in the navy, could actually manage to swim a bit, he was no match for Olivia, who to his amazement moved more like a fish than a woman, cutting through the water with graceful, easy strokes with surprising speed. She was also apparently well versed in 'splash warfare' for Tom was getting hit with twice as many waves of water as he was sending at her.

"Wherever did you learn to swim like that?" He asked, holding up a hand in truce to wipe water from his eyes.

Olivia grinned widely, swimming over and attaching herself around his neck and leaning on his back. Tom blushed at the action, he doubted he would ever be used to how public displays of affection were in this time, and could not help wondering what someone would think if they saw them like this.

"Growing up I used to race on a swim-team." She explained, not moving from his back. "I was a sprinter until I was eighteen and left for school. There's no team here, and I don't really have time for it, but I still enjoy to swim on occasion."

"Oh really?" Tom asked, bringing his hand up to hers, which were still wrapped around his neck.

"Oh yes. There's an indoor lap pool at school I use during the winter when it's too cold to run. I'll take you sometime." She said leaning her head against his a moment. "You know, swim-team teaches children some valuable skills besides swimming."

He smiled; he had to admit he liked having her so close to him, he liked feeling her against him, her breath tickling his ear slightly. "And what skills would these be, my dear?" He asked.

Without a word Olivia suddenly pushed off the bottom on the pool, gripped his shoulders, and dunked him sideways into the water, despite his best efforts not to go under he found he was forced to do so anyway. Tom came up sputtering and gasping, having been caught completely unawares, and stared at her in shock.

Olivia merely smirked, quite proud of herself, "Like that for example."

"Olivia Corin, you will pay for that!" He immediately launched himself at her, attempting to catch her but she was far too quick, and made a game of dodging him.

Grinning from ear to ear Tom calculated a plan and purposefully let her get away several times, not realizing she was being corralled into the corner of the shallow end of the pool. Finally, when she was right where he wanted her, he advanced, prepared.

Olivia went to push off the wall but was immediately caught by Tom, who grabbed her arm, laughing, and pulled her to him, trapping her in his grip and taking advantage of the fact that he was much stronger than she was and his tall frame larger.

"Damn!" Olivia squirmed for a while, attempting to get away to no avail and Tom merely laughed, amused by her antics.

"I have you now, Miss." He teased. "Do you surrender?"

Olivia looked up at him, her eyes shining with amusement, but she sighed in mock annoyance. "Very well, sir." She replied. "What do you intend to do with your prisoner?" She asked innocently.

"Hm…" Tom leaned down and kissed her, moving his grip on her to a better position, enjoying himself thoroughly.

Olivia was also obviously enjoying herself as well, throwing herself into the kiss, completely off guard.

Suddenly, as quick as a cat, Tom pulled away and pushed her under the water. Olivia gasped in shock, causing her to get much water up her nose, a most unpleasant feeling, and she came up sputtering and staring at Tom with wide eyes.

Tom merely broke into peels of laughter, quite proud of his deception. "I told you that you would pay." He teased.

Olivia had to admit he got her good, and was amused by his scheme and quite honestly impressed. However, at the moment she had water up her nose and so she coughed, trying to get the nasty feeling to go away.

Tom's expression turned from one of amusement to concern. He immediately worried that he had accidentally hurt her. After all it had been a wicked deception. "Olivia, are you all right?" He asked, putting an arm over her shoulder his eyes wide with worry and fear.

Olivia sensed this and immediately thought of her payback. She shrugged out from under his protective arm. Now faking a horrible sounding cough she gave him a cold glare as she got away from him.

"Olivia, I didn't mean it!" Tom exclaimed, upset that he had hurt her. "Honest, I was only teasing! Really Olivia, I swear I would never- MMPHF!!"

He was cut short as he followed her pleading his case for Olivia had launched herself at him, completely tackling him and knocking him clean into the pool falling with him and holding him under a minute as he struggled to come up for air again. When she finally let him up he was gasping for breath, she however seemed completely fine, and despite the fact she had been under water just as long as he had.

"How did you-?"

Olivia grinned, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him lightly. "Vocal major. I have the lung capacity of three people, dear."

"So you aren't angry with me?" He asked cautiously.

She smiled and kissed him again. "Does that answer your question?"

He grinned cheekily, "No, I'm afraid you were not clear enough in your response." He teased.

Olivia laughed, kissing him again, this time with far more passion leaving him quite breathless once again. "How's that?" She asked innocently.

"That was…. very nice." He stuttered a bit. This woman and her kisses yet again left him dumbfounded, and he blushed at how stupid his response must have sounded.

Olivia stared at him a moment then burst into laughter. "You know what Tom? It amazes me I can still reduce you to a stuttering schoolboy."

Tom laughed, mock rolling his eyes and splashed once more. "A schoolboy… really…" He muttered, attacking her with peels of water, and their war commenced once more, continuing until they were both quite hungry and ready for a noon meal.

* * *

While Olivia and Tom had been having a battle in the pool, above them in Apartment 42 another war was waging. This one was in far less good humor however as two opponents faced off while a third, innocent party sat terrified in his seat.

"Stephen! Give me that remote machine!" Jack Aubrey thundered glaring at his friend. "I was viewing the program on fire arm development!"

Stephen however did not budge. "And I am tried of that, my dear. It is my turn to choose, it is only fair." He argued, leaning around the naval Captain who was attempting to block the television from the Doctor's view.

"And I have no desire to hear them prattle on about the hatching of sea turtles, fascinating no doubt!" Jack snapped in reply.

"It is my turn."

"It is most certainly not! Change it back!" Jack argued, leaning forward to snatch the remote out of Stephen's hand.

Stephen however jumped up and bounded away with surprising speed. "No!"

Will stared at them both, wide-eyed. He had never seen them carry on in such a childish dispute. It reminded him of when Williamson would snatch away a letter or something else of Boyle's and would tease him and the two would squabble on in boyish fun. He had never imagined the Captain or Doctor behaving in such a manner, but he realized with a small smile, the Captain had once been a young midshipman too, and surely the Doctor had been a boy once, so he supposed it was quite possible for them to still behave like children at times. Particularly when they were at leisure like this.

Suddenly, a crash made Blakeney jump and look over at the two frozen men, standing mid-action with looks of horror on both their faces. Had it been appropriated Will would have burst into laughter, however, seeing as it was the Captain and Doctor Maturin he could hardly do so. In their squabbling they seemed to have managed to knock over the light, the lamp that had been standing in the corner, to the floor, and it was now in five distinct pieces.

Jack stared at Stephen, who was staring back, both had looks of embarrassment on their faces. They have been behaving like children, and now looked very much like a boy who had broken a priceless vase. Jack's first response was to apologize to Stephen, however Stephen had other ideas.

"Jack, what did you do?" He asked in horror.

"What? Me? You knocked it over Stephen!" Jack shot back.

"I'll have you know you are closer to the item than I." Stephen replied.

Jack was about to respond when young Blakeney cleared his throat.

"Yes Mr. Blakeney?" Jack asked, both adults turning their attention to the boy.

"Excuse me sirs, but I do believe you both knocked into it." He said, trying very hard to keep the amusement from his voice.

"Indeed." Jack said absently, staring at the problem item perplexed. "Well, Stephen, we best fix this before Miss Corin returns." He said.

"Yes. She was most unhappy when I was experimenting with her stove the other day, after all, I can't imagine she will be too pleased over this." He replied, also staring at the lamp.

Jack held back the urge to tell Stephen that it was because he had set a sheet of paper on fire and could have burned the whole place down. "Yes, well…"

However, before the two could start on their attempt at repair work on the lamp, the door to the apartment opened and a wet and laughing Miss Corin and Mr. Pullings entered in a bright mood and dripping wet, carrying their shoes.

Olivia paused, seeing Jack and Stephen standing looking guilty and staring at the corner of the living room. She turned to see what they were staring at and much to their relief, laughed quite amused. "What happened?"

"Um… well… we accidentally…. ran into it." Jack managed, exchanging a guilty look with Stephen.

"Oh." Olivia replied. "Well, I'll put it back together after I change. Cheapo Wal-Mart lamp. It falls apart at the drop of a hat." She assured the two terrified looking men. "So don't worry about it. Tom, we're dripping on the carpet, we should both change."

Tom smirked, "Of course, dear. I know how attached you are to the carpeting." He teased happily, before going off to his room to change.

Olivia smiled, amused, and went off to her own room, heading for the shower on her way. Curious, for she had seemed quite wet when she came in for some odd reason. Jack and Stephen however were so relieved she was not upset over the lamp and that it was not a valuable object they carelessly damaged that they took no note of this and sat back down on the sofa, turning their attention back to the television.

"Now, Stephen, might I trouble you for the remote….."

* * *

A/N: Yet again it took me forever to update. Sorry. Changing countries is a lot of work people! I've been way busier than I thought I'd be… but things seem to be calming down now. So hopefully you'll get the next update sooner than the amount of time this one took. If not… you can throw oranges at my head.

Anyway! Olivia has issues. Have you noticed that? Poor Tom. He's going to have to work some things out with her…. And keep her from killing Jack and Stephen as they destroy her apartment. She's not going to have a place left after awhile! I think another title for this story should be "Remote Wars!"

ArcherofDarkness: Haha Happy belated Christmas to you too! Though I don't think you should give puppy Tom too many truffles. He might get a bit too hyper. I am writing more slowly but surely! Thank you for reviewing! It encourages… or should I say bribes me to write more? More like guilt because I feel bad leaving people hanging for long periods of time. Hope you have a happy New Year!

Sten: I'm glad you enjoyed the other story. This one seems even more insane to me, but insane is fun! As for Kate and Stephen… um….

Kate: No way!

Stephen: I beg your pardon?

Kate: Sorry dude…. But no.

Stephen: Actually I agree… she is far too odd for me.

Sorry… no other relationships for the guys in store… except perhaps Blakeney… but he's young and we all know middle school aged people go through "relationships" like paper towels. Sorry anyone in middle school, but it's true for the most part! Anyway, thank you for reviewing and an early Happy New Year for you!

Lily Knotwise: How was that for Olivia and Tom fluff? It involved a pool fight! Can't get much more silly than that! Okay, actually we all know I can… but still. I'm glad you've enjoyed it thus far. There are so many funny situation ideas floating around I can hardly pick which ones I'll really do. In other words… this plotless story may go on awhile. Sorry this chapter took so long… hopefully the next will be done sooner! As always m'dear, thanks for reviewing!

Wing Pikepaw: Haha awww you made Tommy-boy cry! But he deserves it… he made Olivia cry. Basically, everyone cried. And of course Tom's confused! He's a guy. Guys are always confused when it comes to relationships aren't they? Anyway, thanks for reviewing and have a Happy New Year!

LKL: Haha well… they won't get much fresh food if Olivia's cooking. I'll write more on that later. I made her into a worse cook than me so as long as she's cooking their food has to come from cans or frozen… and even then she probably burns it. Haha I like the idea of Olivia hauling the neighbor out and beating him up, and yes that would probably shock poor Tom too… though maybe not considering in the last story she punched him, granted she was drunk but still. Anyway! Thanks for the review and have a great New Year!

Anyana: Well I've been home a week as of today and yes it's been grand thus far thanks for wishing it upon me! I'm glad you enjoy mischief because that'll probably be most of the story… which the fluff mixed in and maybe some drama because I enjoy torturing characters. Thanks for reviewing m'dear!

TheMusingFit: Haha remote fights! And you know they would so do that too. They'll fight over whether they watch the history channel shows on guns or the discovery channel on nature and things. And heaven help Jack if Stephen sees something on Darwin and the Galapagos… Thanks for the encouragement! Happy New Year!

Calliope-Elven-Agent: Yes, tommy is jealous! But he's just going to have to get over it won't he? And don't worry m'dear I won't get explicit. I can write those types of scenes worth a darn. IF they do anything (and that's still an "if" because I have conflicting ideas at the moment…) it'll be implied and not graphic. You know… next morning type of thing maybe… I don't even know yet myself but I promise I will not get graphic for I know not everyone can read that or wants to read that. And I understand your position. I was there myself when I lived at home… heck when I'm at home my mom still reads over my shoulder. Anyway! Thanks for reviewing! And have a happy happy New Year!

Miss Flossy: Haha go Mowett! Tom deserved that! He needs to calm down and take a deep breath. Haha just wait until her classes start up and she starts hanging around her fellow students more… haha particularly her fellow male students. And um… you might want to tell Charlie not to call Olivia a slut anymore… she doesn't like that unless it's one of her friends calling her that…

Olivia: That little…

Me: Olivia language!

Olivia: She called me a slut! Just because she never got it on before Tom came around doesn't mean-

Me: Olivia I don't think we want to hear this.

Olivia: Experience does count for something you know.

Me: Olivia Corin! Your ancestors are spinning in their graves!

Anyway, yes them seeing Master and Commander on the movie channel would be very odd. Haha though I'd like to see what they make of the Horatio Hornblower movies…. Thank you for reviewing m'dear and can't wait to read your next update! Happy New Year!

Sarah: Hehe I'm glad you've enjoyed it so much! Of course I had to drag the others along for the ride! Comic relief from the drama! I was originally going to have Killick come too… but that's just too much for me! I have to get them to all fit in her car you know! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and sorry to keep you waiting. Happy New Year!

Serena: Haha I'm glad you enjoyed chapter two and hope you enjoyed chapter three! Yes, Tommy was upset and made Olivia upset but now they seem better. Thanks for reviewing m'dear and Happy New Year!

Eldarwen999: Haha oooh Jerry Springer… haha I'd love to see the guys watch that! This was more Olivia blew up and said a bunch of junk and made Tom feel bad. She's good at that. However, they've yet to resolve any real problems… mwahahahaha! Hope you enjoyed and Happy New Year!

Sleepwalking Dreamer: Yay! I always love your reviews! And don't worry about not reviewing the first chapter dear, I understand Hell Week… trust me. As long as you forgive my posts being neglected during my Hell Week (um… Hell Weeks? There's always more than one!) I'll forgive you too :-P Anyway, I'm glad you think I kept them in somewhat character thus far. I can't help but have Aubrey and Maturin fighting over the remote, and let's face it, all guys have a six-year-old in them somewhere! They now get to release their inner child! As for what they watch there are so many options! I think fun with the TV is going to be a running theme in this story. As for "Sex and the City" I've never seen it so they don't get to watch that. However, my older sister does have seasons one through eight of "Friends" on DVD so I may have to steal one, watch it, and think of character reactions…. Mwahahahaha. The movie the "Patriot" would be good because all the British characters are evil. Hehe. Anyway, TV is worth hours of entertainment for them! Too many possibilities aahhhhh!!! Haha as for Tom and Olivia's 19th century versus 21st century culture clash I don't think we've seen the end of it. Olivia's quite the partier with a lot of close friends…. guy friends… and well, Tom seems to me as the jealous type. Poor guy. I don't know why I picture him as the jealous type. Maybe I'm a little off on that? But I just see him as giving death glares to any boy that dares to tease around with Olivia and heaven help them if they get a little fresh or give her a hug! Anyway, this has gotten long. As always m'dear, thanks for the lovely email review and hope you have a Happy New Year!

Yay reviewers! You guys all rock my socks! Keep them coming! I need the moral support right now! I'm needy! Hehe! If you review I will share in my chocolate stash! See? (points at insane amount of chocolate in the corner) I have a supply! And Tom will deliver it to you!

Pullings: I will?

Me: You will. Or I'll get in my death scene writing mode again.

Pullings: (puts on hat) Where do I go first?

Hehe so review please! And have a Happy happy New Year!


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Weeks went by and June turned to July. Everyone found ways to occupy themselves about Olivia's apartment or the nearby grounds. Olivia was often away, with two part-time jobs she worked a great deal during the summer to make up for the time she had to spend in class the rest of the year. Most every evening she worked serving drinks at a local bar. Tom had frowned when she said this, thinking of some of the less than proper bar wenches he had seen in the past, but she assured him, with a small laugh, it was a perfectly respectable establishment and she had never felt uncomfortable working there. Five days a week she was gone all day too, working at the theatre box office. Tom had yet to figure out exactly what this job involved, but Saturday mornings when she was off she often got frantic telephone calls from a co-worker who never seemed to have her act together.

After weeks of Olivia's cooking, which was not really cooking so much as heating up soups from cans and already existing meals, Tom was growing tired of the processed food. Olivia could not cook to save her life, and so Tom had discovered on the television a station that explained cooking quite simply. At least once a day he found himself in front of the television copying recipes, and would later experiment with them in the kitchen that afternoon while the Captain and Doctor fought over what they would watch next. He had to admit he was enjoying cooking. It was far easier with the refrigerator to store foods, and he was starting to experiment with various ideas. He was not quite ready to debut his creations quite yet, but soon perhaps. Very soon since Olivia had somehow managed to burn frozen pizza the previous night and filled the whole place with smoke. He was quickly losing faith in her abilities to manage anything in the kitchen at all. Olivia Corin had many skills, but cooking was not one of them. Tom pondered on this as he drifted off to sleep that July night, how cooking seemed the last thing on her mind and how she somehow managed to survive on a diet of frozen and canned foods that had been already prepared and seemed to have no taste whatsoever.

He had fallen into a sound sleep, as had everyone else in Apartment 42, when the silence (except for Jack's snoring) was interrupted abruptly early that morning when it was still dark. An explosion jolted everyone out of their sleep as the walls themselves seemed to shake. It sounded so very much like cannon fire that Tom's first reaction was to jump up and rush up on deck to see what was amiss. However as soon as he was on his feet he remembered where he was and paused in confusion. Blakeney had very much the same reaction, jumping to his feet and pausing.

"Sir? What is that?" He asked, wide-eyed.

"I have no idea, Blakeney." Tom replied, running a quick hand through his hair. "Perhaps Olivia will know?"

In the living room Jack jolt awake at the first sound of explosion and shouted quite loudly on instinct, "ALL HANDS!!! BEAT TO QUAR- oh…" Jack suddenly remembered where he was and rose from the sofa where he slept to turn to the awake and equally confused Stephen. "What the devil do you suppose that noise is?"

Stephen shook his head, "Well, I have equally less of an idea than you." He replied, going over to the window.

Tom had gone to Olivia's door and was about to knock when it flew open and a very annoyed looking Olivia, whose blonde hair was loose and over her shoulders and was dressed in her usual sleeping attire with a robe thrown over her shoulders.

"Olivia, what-?" He did not get the chance to finish his question for Olivia stormed into the living room, muttering to herself. Tom followed her, as did Blakeney, hoping for something resembling an answer.

"Miss Corin? What the devil is going on?" Jack asked as she stormed across the room to the balcony, pushing aside the curtains and storming out to look over the field.

"My neighbors, gentlemen, seem to think setting fireworks off at 4am is appropriate behavior." She grumbled, looking out into the field seeing the two young men, Rick Apperson and his roommate Mark Baxter. "Hey! Idiots! What the Hell?!?"

"Morning Livie!" Mark shouted back with a good natured grin.

"Happy 4th Liv!" Rick called. "FIRE IN THE HOLE!!" With that he lit another set of ground fireworks, which exploded with a loud shriek and a spectacular shower of lights. "Whoa…."

The others had managed to squeeze out onto her small balcony at this point, and were watching the display with mild interest.

"Guys, you can't set off fireworks at four in the morning!" She shouted down. "People were sleeping!"

"But it's the 4th of July!" Rick replied. "We have to celebrate our country!"

Olivia snorted, "By blowing up a small part of it?!?"

"Hell yeah!" Mark replied.

"The grass is on fire." Olivia pointed out, indicating where the fireworks had set a few blades of grass burning.

"Oh! Shit!" Rick ran over with a watering can and promptly put it out.

"Perhaps you gentleman could wait until tonight for this?" Jack shouted down, slightly amused, but also not particularly happy at being woken by their antics.

Tom looked at Olivia curiously, "What's all this about?" He asked.

"Fourth of July's today, you know, when we declared our independence? People usually celebrate it by lighting off fireworks, grilling burgers, and generally having a good time." Olivia explained. "But NOT at four in the morning!" She shouted down to her neighbors.

"It's four on the Fourth!" Rick explained his logic.

"Don't make me call the cops!"

"Fine… fine… come on Rick, Livie needs her beauty sleep." Mark finally gave in, collecting his various explosives. "We'll light the rest off tonight." He looked up at Olivia with a smirk. "Are you happy now? Ruining our fun?"

Olivia rolled her eyes, "Yes." With that she turned and went back inside, followed by the others. "Sorry about them."

"It certainly was not something you could control, Miss Corin." Jack replied kindly. "Though you certainly managed to stop them."

Olivia snickered, "Yeah well…" She shrugged. "You aren't the only one who can command, Captain." She mildly joked. "Now, if you gentlemen will excuse me, I think I'm going to go back to sleep and not wake up until I absolutely have to."

Tom smiled to himself. That was something he could never understand about Olivia. If given the opportunity she would sleep all day, or at least until noon. It could not be natural or healthy for someone to sleep as much as she did, and he had commented on it once before, only to be told she was like a camel in regards to sleep, and needed to stock up for all the times during the year she barely had time for it. "At least get up before noon, Olivia." He instructed, teasingly.

"I'm off work tomorrow, so why get up?" She asked with a yawn, nodding her goodnight to Jack and Stephen as they lay back down on their respective beds and she headed back down the hall to her room followed by Tom, who instead of continuing to his own room, paused at Olivia's allowing Blakeney to go past.

"Because I should rather like to join you in your run this morning, but it gets so devilishly hot by the afternoon." He said. He had been meaning to join her for awhile, to find out what was so appealing about this habit of hers, and forcing her out of bed in the morning was a good excuse.

"Really?" Olivia blinked in shock. She had not suspected he would even want to join her on her morning run, and was surprised. It was too early for her to be thinking anyway, and she thought perhaps she did not hear him correctly.

"Yes, really." Tom said, slightly amused by the groggy expression on her face.

"Okay." Olivia said. "What time do you want to go? And if you say anything before nine I will have to hurt you."

"Half past nine is fine by me." Tom said with grin. "And you know you wouldn't hurt me." He teased lightly.

"No. I just wouldn't get up." Olivia said with a yawn. "9:30 is fine though."

"Good." He leaned forward and lightly kissed her. "Get some sleep, dear. You look tired."

"Oh there's a…a…." Olivia's words were interrupted by a huge yawn. "Compliment."

Tom chuckled, "Goodnight Olivia." He said, turning to return to his own bed.

"Night." Olivia replied, ducking into her own room, setting the alarm, and then collapsing into what she hoped would be uninterrupted sleep.

* * *

"Tom are you sure you're all right?" Olivia asked for what must have been the tenth time as she slowed her pace once more to fall in beside him. When they had started out that morning Olivia immediately sensed that Tom would not last long at her usual pace. She was not surprised honestly, he spent most of his days on a wooden ship with no room to run while she did this every morning, but to save his pride she had wordlessly slowed her pace slightly. However, as they continued jogging Olivia found Tom's pace getting slower and slower, and it was rather frustrating for her, so she had taken to running ahead, each step a bit further until she realized Tom was wheezing a good ways behind her. 

"Yes." He replied, gasping and attempting to keep up. He could not believe how fast she was, or how she did not seem winded at all while he was gasping for breath. He felt rather embarrassed by it to be perfectly honest.

"You can go back at any time you know." Olivia reminded him. "Don't feel like you have to stick with me." She was concerned, she knew he wasn't used to this and would certainly feel it in his legs tomorrow.

"I'm fine Olivia." He said, shortly.

Olivia could not help but be slightly amused by his determination. "All right, fine, keep your pride. Just don't blame me tomorrow when you feel like your legs are going to fall off." She said with a smirk, picking up her pace slightly to get back into a more comfortable rhythm for her, leaving poor Tom puttering along behind her.

Olivia unknowingly picked up her usual pace while her mind wandered. She wondered where exactly she stood with Tom at the moment. He had been here for three weeks and neither of them brought up their engagement or wedding plans at all. She had thought about it, but was not sure how to bring it up. Did he still want to marry her? He was affectionate as always, especially when they were alone, which was not as often as she would like. Olivia was busy with work and her apartment was full, both of which contributed for their lack of opportunities to talk privately. She still wanted to marry him, of course, she loved him, but she had to admit getting married at this point in her life was not very practical. She had one more year of school left, and the final year in the opera program was well known for its hard work and brutal schedule. She knew several students in previous years that had not been able to handle it all and in the end, failed their exit juries, exams, or just flunked out entirely. She certainly did not have time to plan a wedding or begin married life. Not to mention she had absolutely no idea where she would end up after school. Uncertainty was not a good foundation to start a marriage. Of course, she also had to admit that Tom could be gone at any time, so no matter what they did their lives would be uncertain.

Olivia sighed to herself, picking up the pace yet again. In reality, it would be at least a year before she could possibly get married. Would Tom be willing to wait for her? Would he still even be here? Did he still want to marry her at all? In her own time Olivia behaved quite differently than she had in 1806. In his time she had always tried to be somewhat reserved, and though she would slip into her usual behavior around Tom at times, putting up with her forward, stubborn, and often flirtatious personality may prove to be too much for him. If he had stopped loving her would he admit it? Tom struck her as the type that would never go back on his word out of obligation and duty. Even if he did not want to marry her she had a sneaking suspicion he might anyway. She did not want that. She wanted him to marry her only if he truly loved her. Did he still love her?

They had to talk. They had to talk soon for these questions were keeping her up at night and plaguing her. Now was as good a time as any. She suddenly halted in her run and spun around to look behind her. "Tom! We need to- OOOF!!!"

Tom had noticed she was quickening her pace, and not wanting to be left behind had increased his own to match. He wanted to catch up to her, feeling embarrassed that she was clearly faster and had more endurance, he wanted to prove he could keep up. So despite his protesting lungs and legs, he sped up to catch her, and was just behind her when she unexpectedly halted, causing him to crash into her, knocking her to the ground.

"Oh!" Tom was unable to stop so quickly and tripped over her, crashing to the ground himself, tumbling on top of Olivia, unfortunately, crushing her to the pavement and quite accidentally trapping her there. He froze in shock, confused by all that had just happened so quickly.

Olivia however, brought him out of this by shifting uncomfortably under his weight, which was pinning her in a rather awkward position on the sidewalk. "Um… Tom? Would you mind moving? You're kind of…. crushing me."

"Oh!" He immediately realized he was hurting her, and also noticed to his horror that his hand had managed to land on her breast. He jumped away quickly, turning red with embarrassment. "Did I hurt you?" He asked, moving to help her sit up, concerned.

Olivia shook her head, "No I'm fine." She carefully touched her knee, which was slightly skinned, and looked at her elbow that seemed to have suffered the same fate. "Few bruises, nothing more." She turned her eyes to Tom, studying him closely. "What about you?" She asked.

"I'm fine, dear." He responded with a small smile. "You broke my fall."

Olivia laughed, "You still managed to scratch your chin." She pointed out, gently brushing the scratch to brush out the dirt.

"It's nothing I'm sure." He said gingerly touching his chin. It stung to be sure but he had received far worse injuries and he barely registered this mild discomfort. "Why did you stop?" He asked, watching, trying not to laugh as she attempted to examine the scratches on her elbow, a task that was proving quite difficult.

She stopped her attempts, looking up at him. Her expression changed from mild amusement at their tumble, to serious and she sighed, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, as she often did when uncomfortable or distressed. "We need to talk Tom." She said softly.

He raised an eyebrow, looking around him. They were still sitting on the gravel path in the woods. Olivia had said it lead to the university where she studied and was one of her favorite places to run in the summer because of the shade. Not that it really helped matters. Tom still found it a bit too warm for his tastes, and the air far too still and sticky. "Here?" He asked.

"No." Olivia rose to her feet, brushing off her shorts and offering him a hand up. "We can walk and talk."

Tom smiled slightly, excepting her hand as she helped him to his feet. He was quite positive he would never get used to how in many cases in this time, the rules in relations between men and women had changed. For instance, it seemed that to him that he should be the one helping her to her feet and not vice versa, but he accepted her help without reserve. "As you wish, dear."

They started walking, much to Tom's relief, at a slow pace, and he waited for Olivia to form her thoughts. Finally, she turned to him. "Tom, where are we?"

Tom raised his eyebrows confused. "We are on the footpath to your university…"

"No. That's not what I meant." Olivia tried not to chuckle. "I meant where are we relationship wise? Where do we stand?"

Tom stared at her a moment, not sure what to say. "Olivia, I still don't know what you mean. You are not making sense."

"Okay." She frowned, tucking that same strand of hair that was always coming loose back again and thinking. "How should I introduce you to people?"

Tom blinked, he still was not sure what she was getting at. "Tom Pullings…"

She sighed, kicking at a rock. "No! That's not what I mean at all!" Olivia snapped, frustrated at her inability to communicate at the moment. "Forget it." She declared, starting into a run again. She could not think of any other way to put what she was wondering, and was getting rather worked up as she sometimes did. At the moment running away seemed the best option.

"Olivia!" Tom however, stopped her before she could get away, catching her arm and pulling her back to him. He held her by both shoulders, as if she would escape and met her eyes intensely. "What do you mean then? Please tell me what is troubling you."

Olivia sighed, still frustrated and met his gaze evenly. "Do you really want to marry me Tom?" She asked, stopping him before he could immediately reply. "Wait! I am not going to hold you to any promises you made in the past Tom. I was trying to be more reserved then, and now that you've seen the real me, if you don't want to marry me that's fine." Her voice softened and she looked away. "I only want you to marry me if you really want to."

Tom watched her for a moment, speechless. Then suddenly he leaned down, taking her chin in his hand and kissed her. Olivia responded, surprised by his sudden kiss, and when they broke apart she looked up at him questioningly. "Tom?"

"I love you, Olivia Corin." He declared, not releasing her. "I have loved you since the day we met, I love you still, and I will love you always and forever. There is nothing you could ever do to make me stop loving you, Olivia, nothing."

Olivia smiled slightly, leaning against him in his embrace. "Since when did you get so good at sentimental speeches Tom Pullings?"

He chuckled, lightly kissing her forehead. "It is not difficult to speak the truth, Olivia Corin." He replied.

A silence fell between the couple. Both knew there was more to say, but neither knew exactly how to say it. Finally, Olivia could stand silence no longer and decided to be blunt, unfortunately at the same moment Tom came to the same conclusion.

"Tom, about this marriage-"

"Olivia, about our marriage-."

They both stopped mid-sentence. Olivia laughed a bit, slightly amused by their clumsiness. "Okay, you first." She said with a small assuring smile.

"Well," Tom took a deep breath. "Olivia, I want to marry you, more than anything, but I have nothing to offer you. I've no way to provide for you, or for any family we may start." He sighed, tracing her face with his finger gently. "And I cannot in good conscience marry you until I can."

Olivia nodded, thinking over everything he just said. She had to admit she was relieved he felt that way. "Okay. First of all, I don't expect you to support me. In case you haven't noticed, dear, in this time women work, and it's normal. I've pretty much supported myself since I left home at eighteen, granted with a little help from my Aunt now and then, and I'm in debt up to my eyeballs like most students, but I'm used to taking care of myself."

"But-"

"Tom, I'm not saying I don't need you. I love you, more than anything. But I don't expect you to run out and get a job right away. If you end up staying in my time there's going to be a lot you have to adjust to. I understand that." She took his hand with a smile. "We've a lot more in common in this situation than you think."

He looked at her quizzically. "How so?"

"Well, I switched times once too, remember? And I was probably about as confused as you are now, and quite frankly a bit afraid." She wrapped her arms around his waist. "You made it so I wasn't afraid anymore, and at the same time, I fell in love with you, so the best thing that ever happened to me came from it."

Tom smiled and kissed her, holding her close and loving having her here in his arms. "And finding you again, Olivia, is my miracle, no matter which time we may be in. I would rather be with you than anywhere." He paused, watching her eyes search him. She knew there was a "but" coming, she knew that expression, and sure enough after a moment he continued with a sigh. "But I still do not feel comfortable marrying without anything to offer you."

Olivia let out a slight chuckle, "You offer yourself, Tom. What more could I need?" She asked sweetly. "Anyway, I'm not in a position to get married at the moment either." She added casually.

"You're not?" Tom blinked with surprise. He had not expected that.

"No. I'm not." She sighed, tucking that same old strand of hair behind her ear. "Tom, I have every intention of marrying you. I want to be with you, and I'd love to be with you right this very second, but I also have to be practical. I'm in my last year at school and it's going to be tough. In order to make it through I'm going to have to focus, and no offense dear, but being your wife, and knowing that you're mine completely, well, Tom, I'd have a hard time leaving the room much less going to class. It wouldn't be fair to either of us to marry you before I graduate in May."

"So I'm a distraction?" He pouted teasingly. Truthfully he was glad to wait a year. This time confused him, and he knew waiting was for the best.

She grinned, "You are the biggest distraction I have ever been distracted by." Olivia then reached up and pulled his face down a bit to kiss him better. "And I love you for it." She said softly, brushing his hair with her fingers gently.

He smiled, resting his head on hers a moment and embracing her, holding her close once more. "And you, Olivia, are the biggest temptress I have ever known."

Olivia blinked, and then burst out laughing. "Did you just call me a temptress?" She asked between her laughter.

Tom blushed slightly, but his silly grin remained as he kissed her again. "Yes, because it's true." He told her.

"I have been called a flirt and a tease before, but no one has ever called me that." She caught him in another kiss, her eyes sparkling. "And if you think I was tempting before, you ain't seen nothing yet." She said seductively. Tom was not sure if she was purposely lightly breathing in his ear but it certainly had him captivated.

He caught her again in a kiss, unable to help himself. He wondered if he knew how irresistible she was and how hard he had to work to restrain himself in her presence, especially when she was being like this. Was she purposely testing his self-control? For the life of him he could not stop kissing her, and was fighting the urge to find some private place and make love to her right now.

However, they were interrupted by the cry of "Hey! Coming through!" from a short distance down the trail.

Olivia pulled back and glanced over his shoulder to see who it was. She suddenly grinned and glanced up at Tom with a bit of a smirk in her eyes. "Yo Brendon! Path's occupied! Beat it!"

"Liv Corin, I should have known that a couple making out on the path would have to include you." The man shot back, slowing in his job to walk over and join them. This Brendon was tall, well built, and shirtless, and Tom could not help but give Olivia a questioning look. The young man looked like one of the men on her television.

Olivia caught his look and took his hand in hers for assurance, "Brendon's a friend of mine, Tom. He rock climbs with me. Brendon, this is Tom Pullings, my boyfriend."

Tom eyed this Brendon with suspicion, but remembered that Olivia had many male friends it seemed, and he had to trust her and take her word that they were all nothing but friends. So he offered him his hand to shake in a friendly manner. "Very nice to meet you Brendon."

"Nice to meet you too man." Brendon shook his hand with a teasing grin to Olivia. "As for climbing, well, she tries to keep up with me on the rocks anyway."

She rolled her eyes, "Yeah right, you wish you could take me Brendon. Anyway, what are you doing here? I thought you were home for the summer."

Brendon shrugged, "I'm only here for the weekend. Kate's 4th of July party, you know."

Olivia's eyes suddenly went wide. "Kate's party…. Oh shit."

Tom looked at Olivia questioningly but Brendon snickered. "You forgot Kate's party didn't you?"

"Yes…" Olivia groaned, slapping her forehead.

"And you were supposed to bring something weren't you?" Brendon added with a grin, obviously enjoying her torment.

"Yes…"

"Man are you screwed Livie." Brendon told her with another snicker. "Well, no offense Liv and Tom but you're breaking my pace. See you tonight! Good luck Livie! Bye Tom!" He then continued on his run, leaving an obviously panicked Olivia in his wake.

Olivia paced, her green eyes wide. "Oh Kate is going to kill me! I can't believe I forgot!" She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Shit Tom what am I going to do? Kate's going to kill me!"

Tom could not help but smile at her obvious panic, and the thought of the rather flighty Kate killing her was enough to send him to hysterics. He was soon doubled over laughing at her, until he noticed her standing in front of him, hands on her hips, glaring daggers at him. "Sorry dear." He quickly apologized, attempting to keep a straight face once more.

"Tom, this is serious. This party is Kate's baby. She does this every year and I'm supposed to help. If she finds out I completely forgot about her she is going to murder me with nylon stockings." Olivia ranted, returning to her pace.

"Murder you with stockings?" Tom chuckled, but quickly stopped when he noticed her glaring at him again. "What were you supposed to do?"

Olivia sighed, pausing to think. "I was supposed to make some food. Side dishes or something. Oh, and drinks, I was supposed to bring the alcohol, someone else was bringing the sodas and junk. Damn it Tom, I can't believe I forgot!"

Tom caught her wrists and held her still to calm her down. "Olivia, dear, it's all right. I'll help you with the food." He assured her. "As for the drinks, well dear I do hate to say it but you have quite the liquor collection, and I believe you just bought some beer. Surely that will be enough?"

Olivia smiled a bit. "Well, another 12 pack or two and I'll be good. But what about the food?"

Tom paused, thinking about what recipes he had copied down from the cooking channel over the past week. "Well, I believe you have the supplies for macaroni salad, and there is a delightful pineapple dish that would be perfect for this."

Olivia raised an eyebrow, surprised. "Wow, I was just going to buy a bag of chips or something. Since when did you become Martha Stewart, Tom?"

Tom blinked, "Who?"

"Nevermind." Olivia waved it off with a small laugh. "Since when did you learn how to cook?" She asked again, rephrasing the question.

"Since I've been here actually. Your television is quite educational you know." Tom told her. "Now, we have to go to the store, for I do not believe you have crushed pineapple in the apartment." He offered her his arm to take, which she gladly accepted.

"You've been watching the Food Network?" Olivia asked with a grin.

"Yes. No offense, dear, but your cooking is horrible, and I think for all our health someone else ought to do the cooking." He teased, kissing her forehead.

Olivia laughed, "I know, I am completely hopeless in the kitchen, and if you can do better you are so welcome to it." She hugged him again, "You're wonderful."

"Thank you, love." He kissed her again. "Now come along or I'll never have time to get all that cooking done."

Olivia nodded, "Come on." She grabbed his hand and tugged him along down the path at a run, pleased she may actually survive the night.

* * *

A/N: It's Chef Pullings to the rescue! Go Tom go! You've proven you can kill for her (after the fact but it still counts) and now you must COOK for her! Mwahahaha! So the wedding is on hold now guys. Will they make it to a wedding at all? Will Tom murder every man who looks at Olivia? Will Olivia survive to get her degree? Will Tom stick around in this time long enough for a wedding at all? Stay tuned ladies and gentlemen we're in for the long hull! 

In other news, being at home makes it really hard to write. My hometown drains me methinks. Luckily, heading back to my second home Thursday and for some reason I always write more at school than at home. So hopefully the next chapter will come in decent time… at least this one was long right?

Philrya: Haha got to love remote wars! I've lived through enough of them so that came from experience. There will probably be more remote wars in the future as the conflict was never resolved. Thanks for reviewing dear and hope you enjoyed the update!

Wing Pikepaw: Haha the remote fight was a bunny that I could not resist. There will most likely be more moments like that. Television fight. Hey they can't help it they have different tastes! As a history major I'm addicted to the history channel myself. In fact while I was out of the country last semester one of my friends actually taped shows on the history channel she knew I'd like so we could have a history channel marathon when I was back. Haha we're odd odd people. Anyway dear, hope chapter four met your expectations and thank you for reviewing three!

Calliope-Elven-Agent: Yay I got a hug! And I don't need to know you and your sister for remote wars… I have my own older sister. I grew up fighting for the remote and she was always a lost stronger than me… but I was smarter haha. And bribery always works to get me to work faster… unless I'm at home… then nothing works because home is anti-productive. Thanks for reviewing dear and hope you enjoyed the update!

Carrie479: I'm glad you loved the first chapter and I hope you love the other chapters. Thanks for reviewing!

ArcherofDarkness: Flowers are vampires? Really? Whoa… so it's vampires that make me sneeze? Haha I knew I was allergic to vampires. I hope you've seen extended ROTK by now. I've seen it three times. Okay once completely, once skipping certain scenes, and once almost all the way but I had to leave at 8:30… but it counts! Coconut rum is good in pina coladas that my sister makes. Got to love a bartender for a sister. Okay I wrote more so I hope you're reading! And let Tom up for air before he suffocates! Thanks for reviewing and hope you enjoyed the long overdue update!

Anyana: I have no will power for dieting. Note the chocolate bar on my desk. Hence why I'm at the pool swimming my chocolate off whenever I have the time. You know I've got more fluff and drama coming! And you know I never guarantee happy endings.. mwahahaha. Hope you enjoyed the update and thanks for review m'dear!

Fawks: Tom and Olivia are cute aren't they? They're silly hehe. I think she's having fun reducing him to putty in her hands. Poor Tom. He doesn't stand a chance. Thanks for reviewing and hope you enjoyed the update!

Crystal: Haha well now it's four chapters! I'm updating as I'm writing now so it's going to be random updates. Hopefully I'll manage to update in a decent amount of time… Yes, this is very out there. Seriously, it stems from a bunch of jokes… but I'm having fun writing it so I'll post it because some of it is rather amusing… like the microwave incident teehee. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long and hope you enjoyed the update! Thanks for the review!

Elessar King: Haha yes yes Pirates will come! The playing and the watching time! Watching you know I'll have to wait for a movie night with Olivia's friends so the girls will all drool over Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom. Haha should I throw in some "My guns are bigger than his guns" for Tom if he gets jealous? Haha and they have to play pirates because that's just priceless…. Maybe in August? Well the 4th of July random explosions have happened… next is the party… pool party mwahahaha…. And we all know what happens when Jack and Stephen get near the pool… hehehe. Yay for your review m'dear! Haha I'd say over half the ideas in here are yours anyway. Ice cream for you!

Sten: Haha well Kate and Stephen is no weirder than this entire story in general I'd say. I hope you can live through high school too m'dear because I'd be sad if you didn't. Hope you enjoyed the update and thanks for reviewing! Happy reading!

Laura: Haha well they will discover many strange things of TV. I'm glad you loved my first story and hope you love my second story too, haha so far at least, I haven't finished it yet so you can't say you love the whole thing. Hope you enjoyed the update dear! Thanks for reviewing!

Miss Flossy: Haha yes the boys will soon discover there are many more channels on the TV and Blakeney will discover modern music. Olivia may even take him to a concert if he's a good boy hehe. As for smut.. well I've never been able to write decent detailed smut… but eventually I may let them have a little fun… perhaps in the shower, or the grocery store, or a school, or a carnival, or… or… okay my imagination is running now…

Tom: Sounds good to me! Write woman write!

Me: Did you just call me woman?

Tom: Um….. maybe? But that's a lot nicer than the things I call you in my head!

Me: ……. Okay I'll give you that one.

Anyway… I'm enjoying all the tormenting so you never know when I'll finally let them break the tension and let poor Tommy-boy have his fun… haha maybe never mwahahahaha. Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long and hope you enjoyed the update! I'm waiting for you to update now (poke poke poke) until next time dear!

Serena: I hope you enjoyed the new chapter dear. And I hope you're still enjoying the story. Thanks for the review m'dear!

Sleepwalking Dreamer: I'm glad you thought the last chapter was enjoyable and I hope you liked this one too. Haha the guys getting a hold of a playstation would be the end of the world wouldn't it? Olivia's apartment would be destroyed. Haha or if Stephen beats Jack at Battleship…. Mwahahahaha. Sorry about Sex and the City… growing up without any cable TV I've been deprived of such shows, but I have been watching Friends DVDs while writing this weekend for ideas (my sister's out of town so I stole them… normally she would shoot me before letting me touch her precious Friends collection… she's a tad obsessed) and I think the guys wrapping their minds around Phoebe giving birth to her brother's triplets would confuse them to death… or all the random relationships for that matter… the London thing would be good because…. It's London? Haha okay I think I've been watching way too much Friends… And poor Tom will have his jealousy tested in the next chapter methinks when he meets more of Olivia's friends. Poor guy. I love to pick on him. As always dear thanks for the email and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Until next time happy reading!

Thanks for all the reviews! I sent Tom with the chocolate a long time ago so if you didn't get them he ate them all… which I wouldn't doubt, lazy bum of a man… Anyway, if you review this time I'll send something Tom won't eat… if I can think of something he wouldn't eat that is also something people want… Until next time thanks for reading and please please please review!


	5. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

"Olivia, dear, please don't chop those like that. Must I show you again?" Tom looked up from the celery to see Olivia chopping the carrots in far too large chunks. She was trying to help but seemed to be more of a hindrance than helpful. "Here." He took the knife from her. "Just let me."

Olivia threw up her hands and stepped back, amused. "Fine, fine. I know when I'm not wanted. I had no idea you were such a chef, Tom." She said with a teasing grin. "I officially hand my apron over to you and bow to superior cooking."

Tom chuckled, "It's only a few things I saw on the television." He waved it off and started chopping the carrots correctly. "Nothing too fantastic I assure you."

She smiled at his modesty, "Well, thank you again for saving me."

"Of course, dear." Tom said absently, continuing his chopping.

"If you don't need me I'm going to go get ready for the party." She said, knowing she was not helping at all and was more in the way if anything.

"Go ahead, dear, I am quite at home here." He told her with a smile as she left. He was enjoying feeling useful again, even if he was just cooking, he was doing something productive. He honestly did not understand why Olivia had so much trouble with cooking. It seemed rather simple to him.

"Stephen! I do not want to see this!" Jack exclaimed in the other room. Tom smiled, another television dispute. He had grown rather used to them, and so he continued with his work keeping an ear open for the tell-tale sounds of a crash which usually meant they would all have to hide some broken object quickly before Olivia noticed.

Stephen held the remote in his grasp, refusing to back down. "Come now brother, it is merely a simple surgical procedure."

"Stephen! His heart is exposed! They have opened his insides like poultry!" Jack glanced at the television, turning slightly green at the sight of the exposed organ. "And is that what a heart really looks like?"

"Indeed." Stephen stared at the television, stuffing his mouth with popcorn without ceremony. "Fascinating that a man can survive such a procedure."

Jack sighed, knowing there was no way he was going to convince his friend to change the channel. Blakeney had recently discovered a Miss Corin's computer and was not paying attention, rather he was playing a game called "minesweeper", avoiding certain squares on a screen through a system of numbers. "Stephen, that is positively disgusting." Jack said, referring to the surgery on the television as the doctor removed a man's heart.

"Hm." Was the only reply he got as the good Doctor was glued to the screen. Jack swore he was not even blinking and was quite certain he had not even heard what he had said. He sighed, considering finding a book or some music from Miss Corin's selection when the door to the apartment burst open.

"Guess who!" A young woman called as she burst in without so much as a knock. People seemed to do that a lot in this place and Jack found it rather rude, but Miss Corin never seemed to care. He turned to see who it was, expecting it to be Kate. He was shocked however to see who it was, or appeared to be. So shocked in fact, that he dropped his drink, spilling on the carpet and not even noticing.

It was Sophie. Or at least appeared to be a modern version of her, a Sophie of younger years than the wife Jack had not seen for a terribly long time. There were slight differences in this woman. Her eyes for one thing were a light brown rather than the blue of Sophie's and her blonde hair was cut terribly short. A style women in this time seemed to enjoy that Jack found odd and most unattractive on a female. But in most other aspects she was the exact replica of his wife. It was terribly unnerving to meet someone who looked so much like her, and he could not help but react in confusion and alarm. He rose to his feet, staring in shock at the woman who was staring right back with no look of recognition whatsoever.

"Um…. hi?" She raised an eyebrow, obviously confused by the look Jack was giving her. She then turned to the hall again. "Kate, I'll be back in a minute, don't lock the door damn it!"

Stephen looked at her interested. She most certainly looked a great deal like Sophie. He saw it too and wondered who she was. "You are a friend of Kate's?"

"Yeah, I'm her roommate, Alanna Aubrey, but everyone calls me Lannie." She looked around. "So… does Livie still live here or what?"

Jack and Stephen both exchanged a look and slowly the pieces seemed to come together in Stephen's mind. Indeed he would not be surprised at all to learn that this Lannie Aubrey was descended from Jack's son, George. It certainly explained her resemblance to Sophie. He was about to reply that she was in the right place when a shrill cry bounced down the hall and a fast moving blonde creature tackled the young woman.

"LANNIE!" It cried.

"LIVIE!" She replied.

Both proceeded to jump up and down giggling out of control. "AHHHHHH!"

The shrill screaming brought Tom rushing out of the kitchen. "What is it?" He exclaimed, staring in utter confusion at the two women.

Olivia grinned, "Tom, this is my friend Lannie. Lannie, Tom." She introduced.

"Wait… Tom… dude that email Kate sent me was TRUE?" Lannie exclaimed, her eyes wide in surprise. "I thought she was just making up shit like usual!"

"Kate emailed you?" Olivia groaned. "That girl cannot keep her mouth shut! What'd she tell you?"

"Oh nothing much… just that your apartment is jammed full of British guys from 200 years ago, some of which are rather hot but hands off the one you hooked up with." Lannie shrugged. "Oh yeah, and that you're pregnant."

"Well," Olivia rolled her eyes at the thought of her friend adding her own twist on recent events. "The pregnant part is bull, the rest is true."

"Wow. I thought it was the other way around… that the rest of it was shit but you were pregnant if anything." Lannie said casually. "Are you guys playing a joke on me?"

"No Lannie. We're telling the truth and you have to keep your mouth shut about all this okay? We don't know how this happened and I don't want the government or something involved."

"Oh yeah… I forget they're out to get you." Lannie rolled her eyes and turned to the confused men who were only following about half of the conversation. "Livie is paranoid about government types. Seriously, she refused to let FBI agents into her apartment to ask her simple background check questions on one of our old neighbors. We think she may be a drug lord or something."

"Okay, first of all," Olivia whacked her friend quite hard in the back of the head. "Shut up Lannie! Second, don't you think they'd think we were all crazy and ship us off and accuse the guys of being terrorists? This is post 9/11 America! Paranoia is fashionable! And finally, it's not my fault I'm paranoid. You would be too if you grew up with a Grandmother yelling about Nazis, Communists, and Lord knows who else every hour. Heck I still get a little nervous around the color red."

"Okay, okay geez! Yes, I know you had a seriously screwed up childhood. Down girl." Lannie held up a hand in defeat. "I'll keep my mouth shut and duct tape Kate's mouth to keep her quiet too."

Olivia smiled slightly. "Thanks Lannie."

Tom however, was still lost and stuck on one signal thing Lannie had said. He stared blankly at Olivia, his eyes slightly wide. "You're pregnant?" He asked her dumbfounded.

Olivia blinked, "What? No! Tom, how the Hell would I be pregnant?"

Tom blushed furiously, relieved at her answer but still very confused. "My apologizes, Olivia, I was merely caught unawares."

"That's okay, dear. Lannie has that effect." She smiled slightly.

Lannie returned the hit Olivia had given her earlier. "Thanks Liv." She threw a bag at Olivia. "I just wanted to let you know I'm back for the week and that's something I picked up in Jamaica for you."

Olivia looked in the bag, "It's beautiful Lan, thank you. But when were you in Jamaica?" She asked.

"Um, like last week." She replied.

"I thought you were in France last week?"

"No, I left France last week." Lannie replied with a grin. "Gosh Corin, can't you keep up with my bouncing around the globe?"

"Aubrey, no one quite knows where you are. You live on a difference plane of existence entirely. Now go away so I can get dressed." Olivia said.

"Haha it's sexy pool party time! Bye Liv!" With that Lannie turned promptly on her heels and took off with a wave to Jack, Stephen, Will, and Tom.

Olivia snickered slightly. "Lannie Aubrey, insane cellist who is double majoring on bass and cello. She's spending her summer traveling with her family. That girl travels more than anyone I know." She explained to them.

"Ah." Jack said, still shaken by the encounter. "Do you suppose she could be?"

"Could be related to you?" Olivia shrugged slightly. "Could be. I never thought about it to be honest. Aubrey's not exactly an unusual name."

"She did have an uncanning resemblance to Sophie, m'dear." Stephen said thoughtfully. "I trust you saw the same?"

"Indeed." Jack shook his head slightly with a bemused smile. "What an odd thing."

"Who's Sophie?" Olivia asked curiously.

"My wife." He replied, looking very far away at the moment.

Olivia paused, his tone was remorseful, and obviously his encounter with Lannie reminded him of his family back 200 years ago in England, a family he may never see again. She had no idea how she should respond. "Oh." Was all she could manage.

A beeping sound suddenly filled the air quite loudly and they all jumped in alarm. Olivia included. Tom smiled slightly, "Oh! The pineapple is done!" And he quickly headed back into the kitchen to rescue his dish from the oven.

Olivia blinked, surprised. "My oven has a timer? No way!" She then turned and headed back to her room to get dressed, "Wow. Learn something new everyday."

* * *

Tom was not entirely sure how it came to be that he and the other men were given the task of setting up for Kate's party. The poor girl had come in the apartment like a storm, commanding attention. She had run out of time and they were not entirely sure of what exactly she had said because she had been so sudden and quickly spoken they only caught about half of it. The next thing they knew, all four gentlemen had some sort of dish in their hands with instruction to set up the two picnic tables outside the apartment complexes and to make sure everything was ready. Where exactly Kate had disappeared to no one knew. Olivia and Lannie had apparently had a very in depth conversation over what they were each wearing and had both gone off to change.

It did not take them long to set the table. Stephen had been more in the way than a help, for the others had gone about the task with a certain naval efficiency, while the good Doctor seemed to have a bad habit of running into the others in Kate's small kitchen. There was quite a bit of food to set out, and various other items that Kate had instructed, or rather ordered them to take outside. He had to admit he was rather surprised by Kate's sudden change in personality from her usual good-natured flit from one thing to the next to a focused and commanding character, running the party preparations almost like a ship.

They had almost finished everything Kate had commanded of them when she reappeared, her eyes immediately scanning the scene and hands on her hips, looking like a displeased Captain. Tom resisted the urge to salute as she stalked by the table and exchanged an amused look with Blakeney, who was closest setting out the plastic knives, forks, and spoons. The Captain was attempted to set up the badminton net with the "help" of the Doctor. It was not going terribly well, and to count they had heard five various swears and oaths which ought not be uttered by a gentleman.

"Will, put the napkins back in the basket sideways so they don't blow away." Kate ordered, without a so much as a please. "Jack, move the net away from the grill or we'll have a melted shuttlecock deally. Tom, go upstairs and make sure Olivia's set the bar up in her kitchen like I asked. And for God's sake make sure she puts enough ice in the cooler with the beers."

Jack rolled his eyes but did not argue. He had already learned that Kate could not be made to see reason, and she seemed rather stressed about this event she was planning. "Come Stephen, and do mind the hammer if you please."

Stephen grumbled, not particularly liking the fact that he had to pull up the progress he had made and start over again, but also did not argue. He had already had a round with Kate earlier that morning and did not have the energy for a second. These modern women were the most stubborn creatures he had ever met.

Blakeney, amused at Kate ordering his senior officers about, smiled at the woman, happy to follow his orders and even gave her a little salute, "Aye sir." He joked, his eyes shining with mirth.

Tom could not help but chuckle at Blakeney, and turned to head back upstairs to relay Kate's orders to Olivia. He dashed up the stairs and into the apartment, finding the refrigerator door open in the kitchen, Olivia was hidden behind the door kneeling to pull something out.

"Olivia?" He asked, making sure she was actually present.

"Yeah?" She sounded slightly distracted, and the clank of bottles filled the air as she collected them to set out. Tom noted that she had set several various bottles on the table and had quite the set up already. "Wait, let me guess, you have word from almighty Kate." He could almost feel her grin, knowing Olivia found her friend's bossy nature highly amusing.

"As a matter a fact I do." Tom chuckled. "She wants to make sure you're…. Good God! Olivia, what are you wearing?" Tom's train of thought was completely interrupted when Olivia stood and closed the refrigerator door, offering him a full view of her outfit, if one could call it that. What she was wearing, in his opinion, barely covered her nakedness. He knew clothing was far more revealing in this time, but that could not possibly be considered clothing. It only covered her bosom, her midriff, back, and shoulders completely exposed, certainly leaving very little to the imagination indeed. Tom turned furiously red, blushing to the bone, and adverted his eyes automatically, certain his lady was not finished dressing.

Olivia however, had not noticed his shock, distracted by the bottles she had arranged on the table and looking for a particular one rather than looking up at Tom. "What? Oh, yeah this wrap is what Lannie gave me from Jamaica. It's pretty isn't it?" She pulled at the piece of colorful cloth that was perched jauntily around her waist, its slit showing off her legs.

His eyes widened at her complete ignorance of her immodest clothing. "Olivia Corin, you cannot possibly be considering wearing that in public."

Olivia finally caught his tone and looked up, raising an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"Why not?" Tom exclaimed. "You are barely dressed! Why not just parade down the street naked?"

Olivia stared at him a moment, then a small smirk spread across her lips. "Parade naked, now there's an idea. Shall I start now?" She asked innocently, reaching for the strap of her top.

Tom's eyes widened and, if possible, he turned an even darker shade of red. "No! God above, Olivia keep your clothes on!"

This was too much for her, and Olivia burst into peels of laughter, leaning against the counter for support, very amused at the poor man who was terrified that his future wife was going to strip off her clothes in the middle of the kitchen.

Tom, however, felt a headache coming on, and he rubbed his temples, giving Olivia a mild glare. "I see nothing amusing here, Olivia, and I insist you change clothes."

"I am not going to change, Tom. Don't be silly." Olivia crossed the kitchen and put her arms around his neck. "You know women in my time dress differently." She said smoothly, toying with his tied back hair gently with her fingers.

He knew exactly what she was trying to do; she was luring him into compliancy to get her way. She had a damn fine talent for it too, but he was attempting to resist her, and refused to put his arms around her waist as he normally would, stubbornly gripping her wrists and gently removing them. "Olivia Corin, don't."

"Don't what?" She asked, her green eyes looking up at him in a picture of innocence. An innocence he knew was not entirely accurate.

"You're using the fact I find you attractive against me." He stated, doing his best to look just above her head, so as not to notice how damn desirable she looked. However, he knew from the start he was doomed.

"Oh Tom," She pulled her wrists free from his grasp and put her arms once again around his neck. "Really, I'm sure you've seen native women wearing far less." She lightly teased, her body nearly brushing against him.

He removed her arms again and moved back a step. "I'm not marrying a native woman, now am I? Neither are you a common whore. Must you insist on dressing like one?" Tom asked with a sigh, knowing already he had lost the argument.

"Yes I must." Olivia replied with a grin, knowing she had won with flying colors. "Because I know deep down, under that gentleman routine, you like it." She raised an eyebrow. "Or do you not find me at all pretty, Mr. Pullings?" She asked sweetly, for a final time attaching her arms around his neck again.

He sighed again, looking at her once more, giving up. "Olivia, you know you're very pretty." He said. She was too. He had to admit that after the initial shock of it all, he rather liked it, he was only a man after all. The green in the cloth of the wrap and her top seemed to accent her lovely eyes even more than usual, giving them an even brighter dimension of color, and her hair was down, brushed so it spilled over her shoulders in an attractive style that he never had seen on her before. She looked like a native queen, the most attractive sight he had ever seen. That was the problem. She was too attractive. Enough to bring any man to his knees, and he knew she had won him over and certain brought him down on his this day, so he gave up.

Tom gently put his arms around her waist, feeling the soft skin of the small of her back against his sailor callused hands and let out a small sigh, enjoying the feeling of holding her so close and feeling how soft her skin was in spite of himself. "What am I going to do with you, Olivia?" He asked softly. "God help us should we have daughters." He sighed, kissing her as a sort of apology for their minor fight, well, if you could call it a fight.

Olivia laughed, "God help us if we have any kids, Tom." She said lightly.

Tom frowned slightly, not sure what she meant, but never had the chance to question her. For that moment Kate burst into the apartment in a storm of 21st century female wrath.

"Olivia Corin! Tom Pullings! Quit hugging and getting all touchy feely and get that cooler outside! People are showing up and they don't have any damn beer!" She shouted, stomping her foot for emphasis.

Olivia broke away from Tom, rolling her eyes, "What am I? Your bitch?"

"Yes! Now hurry up, bitch!" Kate snapped back.

Tom raised an eyebrow. "You two use that word far too often. I'm not entirely sure you know what it means." He commented, as usual, slightly taken back by their bad language. He would never get used to the casual way they threw around insults at each other, as if it were nothing at all to be called 'bitch' and 'ass' and the one he was not quite sure what it was used for since they used it constantly back and forth, 'jerkass'.

Olivia snickered, turning to get the cooler. "Help me with this thing, will you Tom? It's heavy with all the ice in it."

"Of course dear." He turned to help her.

"OW! DAMN IT ALL STEPHEN!" The shout came from outside and Kate let out something between a groan and a growl, turning and storming outside once more.

"JACK AUBREY! I TOLD YOU NOT TO LET HIM USE THE SLEDGE HAMMER!" They could hear Kate shouting as she ran down the stairs.

Tom and Olivia exchanged a look, then burst out laughing at what most likely awaited them downstairs. This day was turning out to be amusing, to say the least.

* * *

A/N: Sorry sorry sorry a million apologizes! I was hoping to get all of 4th of July done this time around but it's turning out to be so dang long I've broken it up again. Anyway, this semester is evil. Evil! Keeping me from writing! But I promise the next chapter will come sooner than this one because it's already half done! I feel so bad it took so long. And I can't believe how long 4th of July is going to be. It's an eventful day! Anyway, haha Olivia makes Tom uncomfortable. This chapter was rather pointless but I thought it was funny so it's here. Oh yeah, and Lannie looks like Jack's wife…. How strange….. couldn't resister that either. Granted some of her features are different, but it happens. And no, Lannie is NOT Sophie. I just thought that'd be interesting to remind Jack that "oh yeah! I have a wife and kids and junk!" Me and my odd brain. Again guys, sorry about the long wait. Darn school. Everyone should write my professors and tell them to lay off so I can write on this more often!

Sakai213: Haha thank you! I enjoy being insane! I'm sorry I kept you waiting on the update. Next time hopefully won't take me as long! Thanks for the review!

Mary: Haha got to love remote wars! I couldn't resist the scene. It was one of the ones I couldn't wait to write! They're such kids. Thanks for the review m'dear! Hope you enjoy the rest of it!

Sten: Hehe well someone has to cook in that place! I figured he could make himself useful. Tom Pullings with his own cooking show hahahaha. The Tom Pullings Cooking Extravaganza! With your host! Tom Pullings!

Audience: (applauds)

Hehehe too funny. Hope you enjoyed the chapter m'dear! And thanks for the laugh!

Anyana: Haha yeah well, they all get their TV channels eventually. Tom's discovered his. As for me, I can't cook and don't really watch the Food Network so you'll forgive my ignorance to its programming. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and sorry it took so long to post! Thanks as always for reviewing.

ArcherofDarkness: Haha the Tom Pullings comparison to Martha Stewart just sort of happened…. I don't think anyone else has ever compared the two before. Mwahahaha. I'm impressed that you run. I hate running. I prefer swimming and only run when I can't swim, but I dislike it… mainly because I have allergies and being outside tends to make me die on its own… much less add running to that mix. Swimming is nice. No pollen in water. Where will Tom and Olivia end up? Hm… not telling you! Mwahahaha! And you're operating on the belief they'll stay together…. They could be split up again… or they could break up…. or Olivia could get another guy… or one of them could die…. Or.. or..or… haha I'm mean and trying to throw you off track. Anyway! You'll just have to be patient…. Or email me asking specific questions which I will answer for your reading pleasure somewhat vaguely… or in detail… depending on my mood. Haha anyway m'dear! As always your reviews are a pleasure! Thanks! And sorry for keeping you waiting so long!

Sancti: Haha Will having a crush on Kate? That probably won't happen, but Will will eventually meet a girl of his own…. Eventually. Hehe. Because playing with characters is fun! Thanks for the luck wishes. It is confusing at times. This year alone I've had three homes…. Home home were my parentals and animals live, study aboard school in England, and now I'm back at my usually school. Too much packing involved. But it's all good! Now that I've fallen back into school life I've worked out more time to write…. Hopefully. Anyway, I'm going home home this weekend… but I may only stay one night. Really I just need to get some stuff from previous years I left there for classes this year. Eh. How confusing. But that's life eh? Anyway m'dear! Extreme apologies for taking so long to update and thanks for the lovely review and good wishes!

TheMusingFit: Hahaha… oh my. I hope you mean the dude on the TV show and not actually cook naked. Or… does the dude on TV cook naked? I've never seen the show myself… but that seems like it would be dangerous… and on a different channel entirely.. haha. Anyway! Sure he can be the naked chef… but only if he's clothed. Hey. He's naked under the clothes right? Thanks for the review and a million apologies for my slowness. Until next time m'dear!

Calliope-Elven-Agent: Haha Tom probably ate your chocolate. He probably ate all the chocolate. Silly man. As for Chef Tom, he's discovering a hidden talent. And cooking is easier in modern times I imagine… haha yay for refrigerators and stoves! Thanks for reviewing m'dear and hope you enjoyed this much late update which I am extremely sorry for. Happy reading!

Wing Pikepaw: Hahaha I like your reaction to Chef Tom. But he is a man of many talents… and what else does he have to do all day while Olivia is at work to pay for food and rent? He can help out around the place a bit eh? Cooking is the least he can do! Haha he's becoming a housewife!

Tom: HEY!

Me: (snickers) Sorry Mrs. Corin…

Tom: (death glare)

Haha Olivia laid things out in plain English there for him. He's a bit slow at times. And she's a busy lady. A girl can't drop everything for her man after all! Blakeney will do a bit in the next chapter, and he'll have a whole little subplot of his own…. Eventually. Man this story is going to be long. Sigh. I have so much planned and so little time to do it in! Haha. Seriously… I'm seeing this as becoming a regular saga. As for your updates, don't feel bad. I know all about being busy. I won't be mad at you if you forgive me my slow updates deal? As always m'dear your review was a joy! Thanks so much!

Miss Flossy: Haha don't worry, the author here can't cook so Tom can't talk about ingredients unless it's for chicken and dumplings… which is one of the rare things I can in fact cook well. As for everyone knowing about Olivia's "roommates", they're about to find out. It's summer and summer in college communities is a bit dead since most people go home. She doesn't because she obviously prefers to stay away from home, which will become very clear in future chapters. As for Olivia thinking they'll stay in her time… well she's given him the "let's see what happens" talk. Haha will they go back to his time? Will they stay together at all? I seem to recall playing this game with someone earlier….. Olivia might decide Tom is driving her crazy and tell him the wedding is off! You never know…. Haha I can just see Olivia faced with high society though…. what a disaster that would be… I hope you beat up Tom and Will for eating all your chocolate. Bastards. Thanks for reviewing as always m'dear! And I hope you enjoyed this late late update! Until next time! Keep writing! Please! I want to read what evils you have in store for Tom and Will and the rest!

Crystal: Hehe I'm glad you enjoyed the fireworks. Haha and and I understand the weird looks from roommate thing completely! Hehehe funny. Aubrey scenes in this are just too much fun to write. These guys are completely out of their element here. Hope you enjoyed this late update and accept my millions of apologies! Thanks for reviewing!

Serena: Haha yep. Chef Tom. Gotta love it! Anyway, hope you didn't lose all hope for the update and enjoyed it! Thanks for reviewing!

Elessar King: Hehe of course he falls! He's still a puppy! PUPPY TOM! Haha thanks for being my listening post for the bikini incident! You rock! Tell Lancey to behave or I'll keel him so dead! SO DEAD! Hehehehehe! Ta m'dear!

Thanks for the reviews guys! Now… let's see… if you review this chapter I'll have Tom bring you some of that food he's cooking for the party! It'll be good! I promise!

Tom: You're a slave driver.

Me: Yes. Yes I am.

Tom: Grrr….. if you didn't have the power to kill of Olivia or me or someone I'd hurt you.

Me: But I do. So cook!

Anyway! Review and Tom will bring you party food! Because I'm making him! Thanks guys!


	6. Chapter Six

Warning: This chapter is rather long, so if you have to go to the bathroom go now! Don't say I didn't warn you!

Chapter Six

Will Blakeney was bored out of his mind. Kate's party was well underway and all the guests were milling about the field in groups, eating, talking, drinking, and generally having a good time, but they were all older, no one even close to his age. They were also all very odd people and he felt very lonely and out of place.

He sighed, looking to see if there was anything he could do to amuse himself. Many of the people were playing various games. Games he noted that required two arms. He sighed and quickly shut away all bitterness, no use dwelling on such things. He turned and looked at the drinks and decided to try some of that beer everyone seemed to be enjoying.

However, he had only just picked up the can when one of the women approached, wearing an incredibly skimpy outfit everyone referred to as a bikini, the most revealing one there in fact, something which was not lost on young William Blakeney.

"Hey kid, aren't you a little young for that?" She asked, smiling at him as if she caught him doing something wrong and was slightly amused by it.

Will stared at her blankly, "Pardon?" He asked politely.

"The beer. I know a lot of us are under age drinking, but you're pushing it a bit too far don't you think?" She was still smiling, striking Blakeney as a very kind young woman. "Don't worry. If you put it back now I won't tell."

Blakeney still was not quite sure why he could not drink the beer. It was not as if he had not had alcohol before, but he supposed it must be different here, so he put the can back and got one of those sodas Miss Corin drank constantly, instead.

The young woman was still watching him, as if considering something. "Your name's Will right?" She asked.

"Yes ma'am. I'm afraid I can't recall yours." He said, offering her a shy smile.

"It's Reagan, and you don't have to call me ma'am." She replied, looking over across the field at a group of young men. "Hey, some of us are going to play some hacky-sac in a minute. You want to come?"

Blakeney blinked, "Hacky-sac? I've never played." He said, still feeling rather shy about the whole thing.

Reagan smiled kindly, "Don't worry, you'll catch on fast."

Will hesitated, however, he had nothing else to do and was rather curious about the game. So he nodded, "All right. I'll play."

"Cool." Reagan nodded. "Come on then." She said, walking with him off to join the group.

Will smiled, in spite of himself, listening to her talk. She was rather sisterly if anything, but very kind, and had a way of making him feel welcome. He followed her along, wondering what sort of game hack-sac would be.

Meanwhile, Tom was practically Olivia's shadow. He knew that what Olivia was wearing was hardly the most revealing outfit there, but he was still uneasy at the way many of the other men present were looking at her. A great number of them were a bit too familiar in their behavior towards her for his tastes.

None of her friends seemed to have seen one another in some time, and so everyone was talking all at once, everywhere, and constantly. They all wanted to know to know who the strangers living with Olivia were, and she had made up a story about meeting Tom on a trip and Jack and Stephen were his friends who came along for a long visit, and Will was Jack's nephew. It was a simple story, and they were all instructed to avoid answering questions. For the most part the guests all seemed to be more interested in catching up with one another. He did notice however that Olivia was introducing him as her "boyfriend". As he understood it boyfriend meant suitor, and he wondered why she didn't introduce him as her betrothed.

He was pulled from his reflection by Olivia giving a surprised shout. "DAMN IT CHRIS!" She spun around with a glare at the smirking young man behind her. "How many times do I have to tell you NOT to pull my hair!"

Chris simply smiled innocently, "How else am I supposed to get your attention Livie?" He asked, giving Tom a quick nod.

She rolled her eyes, "Tap my shoulder like a normal person maybe? Someday I may have to shave my head to make a point."

"Liv, no matter what you do, you are still going to be hot." He said, attempting to be serious.

"And no matter what you do, I am never ever going to get with you." She shot back. "Now did you want something? Or did you just feel like pulling my hair for the heck of it?"

"Yeah, are you going to make those southern… sour…. things?"

"Southern Comfort sours?" Olivia asked, tossing her hair. "Yeah I have stuff for it. Think I should mix it now?"

"The natives are getting restless, Livie. Better get them booze." The girl on the other side of the table added, Jenna, Tom believed her name was. There were so many of them it was impossible to keep them all straight, and no one referred to one another as mister or miss, and there were at least three Ashleys and four Beccas.

Olivia laughed. "Okay, okay, booze it is. God forbid I let you guys get sober." She hopped off the table where she had been sitting and went to head back to the apartment. She paused to turn and saw Tom following her, with a knowing grin she took his hand.

"Yeah, because it takes two people to make drinks." Jenna teased.

Olivia laughed, "Yes, yes it does." With that she and Tom went back up to her apartment.

Tom was rather relieved to get inside away from the crowd. They were a rather loud bunch and it was tiring to try to keep up.

"You're doing good." Olivia said to him with a smile as she got the ice out of the freezer and began making whatever drink had been requested barely looking at what she was doing. It seemed instinct to her and she mixed and set up the blender. "That group is a lot to put up with."

"They're…. different." He admitted. He watched her a moment, a question plaguing him until he finally burst out asking, "Olivia, why did you not tell them we are planning to be married?"

Olivia blinked, dumping the ice in the blender. "Should I have?" She asked.

"They're your friends, dear." He said gently.

"Well," She paused a moment, as if contemplating. "I don't think they need to know quite yet. I mean, Kate doesn't even know, I don't think. And once they find out I'll never hear the end of it." She sighed, going over to him and putting her arms around him. "When they find out, Tom, our wedding won't be our wedding anymore. It'll be theirs, with us as the puppets." Her green eyes sparkled. "And I rather like holding onto some control for a little longer, don't you?"

Tom laughed, "Whatever you want, love." He kissed her. "Have you at least told your mother and father?"

Olivia pulled back, her eyes slightly wide. "Tom, I haven't spoken to my father in five years. Why the Hell would I call him now?"

He frowned, he forgot that was a sensitive subject. "I'm sorry, dear, it just seems strange to me. Normally I would never even think of asking you to marry me without asking your father first, you know."

Olivia chuckled, "Oh I can hear that conversation now. I don't even think he knows where I go to school."

He smiled, glad that she was not angry, and decided to push his luck. "And your mother?" He asked.

Olivia sighed, "Do we have to tell her?" She whined.

"I think we do, dear." He said with a smile. "Eventually."

"Right. Eventually. Now you're talking." She sighed. "Put off the unpleasant as long as possible."

"Unpleasant?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Never mind." Olivia tossed her hand. "I'm sure you'll find out eventually."

Tom knew not to press the matter with her, and let it drop. Instead he watched her as she mixed drinks without even watching what she was doing. He smiled, amused at the strange way she flipped the bottles around in an impressive looking manner. "Olivia, how is it you cannot manage to heat up frozen foods in the oven, but you can spin those bottles around a mix a drink in the blender without so much as looking?" He asked.

Olivia shrugged, "I'm a bartender. Where I work if I twirl a bottle around like this I tend to get better tips. Besides, it's not as hard as it looks, watch." She picked up the bottle of rum and tossed it in the air catching it firmly as it flipped in the air, she then spun it around a few times, popped off the cap, and then poured a shot and slid it down the counter for Tom. "Cheers dear." She said simply, moving onto the blender and flipping it on casually.

Tom smiled, drinking the rum, "How long did that take you to perfect?" He asked curiously.

"Perfect? Oh Livia just watched Coyote Ugly one too many times. Just be glad she didn't start dancing on the table." Kate appeared unannounced and hopped up on the counter, followed by Lannie and two other girls Tom could not remember the names of. "And now for the girly gossip time. Out Tom. Now."

Tom blinked and looked at Olivia, who was obviously amused and now pouring the mixture from the blinder into several plastic cups. "The girls apparently have something to talk to me about, Tom." Olivia explained.

"Yes, we're going to talk about you and gossip and have Liv here give us intimate details of your anatomy with particular attention to your… how shall I say…. pulling area?" Lannie said casually, taking the glass Olivia had just finished pouring right out of her hand and hopping up to sit on the kitchen table. "So get."

"Lannie, be nice." Olivia instructed handing Kate and the other two girls drinks and leaving one for herself before handing Tom the pitcher. "Could you take this out while you're at it? I'll be down in a minute." She smiled sweetly, taking his arm and pointedly turning him, escorting him to the door. "Thanks dear. You're good for putting up with my friends." She gave him a quick kiss.

"Of course, love." He said, blushing when the girls in the kitchen all went "awww.." at the same time. "Come out soon." He said, turning and heading outside, allowing Olivia to go back to the kitchen and joining the crowd outside.

The pitcher seemed to disappear faster than it had been made, and it was not even two minutes before a few people were complaining they didn't get any, and so Tom headed back up to the apartment to ask Olivia to make more.

He reached the apartment and paused in the entrance, he could hear the girls talking in the kitchen, and could not help but be curious as to what they were talking about. He wanted to know what Olivia was telling them about him, so he lingered in the hall a moment, making a point to be slow.

"I'm serious you guys, we haven't done any of that sort of thing yet. Not even close." Olivia was saying.

"Holy shit, Livie. The guy is **_living_** with you and you haven't screwed him yet?" Another girl said in disbelief. "Spill, what's wrong with him?"

"Nothing." Olivia sighed, "He's just very old fashion about that sort of thing."

The fourth girl laughed, "Don't tell me he wants to wait until you're married."

"Actually he does." Olivia replied defensively.

"And you **_agreed_** to wait for what we all know isn't going to happen?" The first girl exploded with a laugh.

Tom could hear Olivia pause and could almost picture the thoughtful look on her face at that moment. "Why isn't it going to happen Trace?" She asked.

"Come on Liv. We know you. And the picture of you settling down with **_one_** guy **_forever_** and living in a little house with kids and a doggie is ridiculous. You're the girl who's probably been with half the guys in the music and theatre departments for crying out loud. You're not the settle down type." She argued.

Tom frowned, rather disturbed by this information. The girl sounded sincere in this assessment of Olivia and he could not help but wonder what exactly she had not been telling him.

"Yeah, and we all know you did the other half." Olivia shot back coldly. "Anyway, it's different this time."

"How so?" This was from Kate, obviously. "I mean, despite the **_obvious_** differences, how do you know this relationship is different from your last real one? Who was it…. Jonathan Riley?"

Olivia paused, "It just…. is." She sighed. "I don't know how to explain it Kate, but it feels different this time. I'm different this time. When I was with Jonathan I could picture myself with other guys very easily, but now that I'm with Tom I really can't see myself with anyone else. I haven't been with anyone else since we met last year and-"

"You haven't been with anyone in a year?" Another girl exclaimed, and obviously got a glare from Olivia for after a moment she replied. "Sorry."

"Anyway girls, I think this relationship will last. I hope it will last." Olivia chuckled. "I'd actually like to marry him. Not right at this moment of course, but it's a possibility I hope."

The girls all "awwwed" again, and a voice that had to be Lannie declared. "Welcome to an adult relationship, Olivia Corin."

Kate snickered, "You must be horny as Hell."

"You have **_no _**idea." Olivia replied.

"Mr. Pullings?" Tom jumped and spun around to see the Doctor and Captain standing behind him in the doorway, for some odd reason they were both soaking wet, but neither said a word about it. "Whatever are you doing here?"

"Oh! Sir! I was just…." He held up the pitcher wordlessly, his face turning bright red at being caught eavesdropping.

Jack tried not to chuckle at the man who looked a great deal like a mid caught fighting with his mate rather than the lieutenant he had come to know. "Well, Mr. Pullings, I suggest you fill that pitcher before the lot outside get thirsty." He instructed.

"Aye sir." Tom replied automatically, still blushing furiously, he went on to the kitchen, greeted by a large amount of giggles and teasing from the ladies within.

Stephen shook his head, "That poor man." He said. "That was almost like sending him into the lion's den my dear."

"Indeed." Jack smirked. "But I have every confidence in Mr. Pullings to withstand the lion. And now my dear sir, if you would not mind telling me what possessed you to push me into the swimming pool?" Jack raised an eyebrow at Stephen.

"What? You pushed me!" Stephen exclaimed with an insulted look on his face. "I pulled you! But you started it!"

"I did not! It was an accident I assure you." Jack replied with an equally offended look.

"You accidentally pushed me?" Stephen raised an eyebrow.

"I believe sir, there is only one way to settle this." Jack said calmly.

Stephen stared at his friend for a moment, then slowly a smile spread on his face. "I have been wanting to try those water pistols those young men were using earlier."

"Shall we then Doctor Maturin?" Jack was positively beaming at the chance to attack his friend with a weapon that shot water.

"We shall!" With that the two gentlemen dashed outside to square off for a duel with water pistols.

Meanwhile, Tom was facing a very different situation. Olivia knew very well that Tom had been listening to her conversation, and her friends obviously did not approve. They were all glaring at him with all the malice a female could muster. They were not impressed. Even Kate was glaring.

Lannie hopped off her perch on the counter with a sharp look at Tom. "Well, you two probably have things to discuss." She said coldly. "Ladies?"

Silently, the other girls all got up, each tossing Tom a judgmental look, which made him feel even worse. He was positively burning with embarrassment and looked at Olivia, who was making a point not to return the glance.

Once they were gone and the apartment was empty once more he turned to Olivia, carefully moving closer. "Olivia? Olivia, I'm sorry."

"How much did you hear?" She asked in a low and dangerous tone.

Tom was at a loss for words. He stared at her a moment, knowing that his listening to her conversation was an invasion of privacy. However, he suddenly realized that they had been discussing matters that he considered private between the two of them quite freely with a group of young ladies who he was sure from what Olivia had told him would spread what she had said around, making their private matters far from private. He stared at her, trying to find the words but unable to express them.

"Well?" Olivia demanded, her green eyes flashing in anger.

Her anger however only made Tom angry. He was outraged that she shared private details of their relationship with those other girls. "Well, that part where you told your friends that I hadn't… oh what was the word she used, oh yes, screwed you yet."

"That conversation was none of your business." Olivia said coldly.

"And it is none of your friends business what we have or have not done! My God Olivia is nothing private in this century!" He exclaimed.

"Oh yes Tom, my century is so bad, my century is so corrupt! Well at least in this time we know it's okay to show what we are feeling! At least I'm not repressing my feelings behind a mask propriety until I explode!" She shouted, moving to snatch the pitcher from his hands.

"Oh I'm repressing my feelings am I?" He snarled back. Tom was usually a very good natured man, but Olivia had somehow gotten him riled up like no woman ever had before. She was being ridiculous and acting like a child and he could not take another moment of it. "Olivia, you know damn well how I feel about you! I've told you a hundred times that I love you! What more do you want?"

Olivia slammed the pitcher down on the table and spun back to face him. "I WANT YOU TO SHOW IT GOD DAMN IT!"

"WHAT WOULD YOU HAVE ME DO OLIVIA CORIN?" Tom shouted back, furious with her for her behavior and all thoughts of controlling his anger gone. "RAVAGE YOU SENSELESS LIKE SOME COMMON WHORE? BECAUSE I CAN DO THAT YOU KNOW!" He grabbed her around the waist, pulling her to him forcefully, then kissing her, as he never had before. This kiss was forceful, firm, desperate. He forgot all thoughts of being a gentleman and kissed her like some wild beast. Olivia however made no protest, in fact, she returned his passion quite furiously. He marveled at the way she used her tongue when she deepened his kisses, and wanted her now more than anything in the world.

Tom lifted her off her feet and onto the counter, never once pausing in his shower of kisses, moving to her neck as she tilted her head and groaned slightly, allowing him better access to her wonderfully smooth skin. Tom was in heaven, and felt her wrap her legs around him, pulling him closer. Only then did he pause, realizing where this was going, and he looked up to meet Olivia's eyes, questioning whether they should continue. He was about to speak when she quickly put her finger to his lips, silencing him.

"Don't you even think of stopping now Tom Pullings." She ordered, seductively pulling his shirt up over his head, removing it and dropping it to the floor. "You promised to ravage me senseless and that is precisely what you are going to do."

"Aye ma'am." He replied with a cheeky grin, "Where was I?"

Olivia pointed at her neck. "You were working your way down."

"Ah. Of course." And so he started showering kisses upon her neck, his hands carefully sliding over her warm, soft skin. She felt like silk, like heaven and he wanted nothing more than to lose himself in her entirely.

Olivia returned his kisses furiously while at the same time gently running her hand down his back, finding each mark and scar and wondering about the story behind each. Someday she would have to ask him, but not now. Now she just wanted him to make love to her more than anything else. She carefully traced a scar on his side, her touch light and almost tickling, closing her eyes as she felt Tom's hands move under her bathing suite top and from her side to her back to find the clasp to undo it. He moved closer to unfasten her and she took advantage of this, gently kissing along his jaw to his ear and carefully nibbling at it, blowing slightly in his ear.

Tom held back a groan and felt clumsy as he struggled with the clasp. However, he never did get the chance to finish unfastening it for they were unfortunately suddenly interrupted.

"Mr. Pullings? Miss- oh my!" Young Blakeney had come up with orders from Kate for them to hurry up and get back outside. He was young, but he had a good idea that he should not have interrupted them and burned red at finding his superior in such a compromising position. "Excuse me sir!"

Tom immediately broke away from Olivia, who scooted back on the counter, breaking contact with him. She looked slightly amused and annoyed by the interruption. His face turned a brilliant shade of crimson and he wanted to scream in frustration.

Olivia smiled at Tom sympathetically and turned to Blakeney, who was standing with his mouth open in the doorway. "What is it Will?" She asked kindly.

"Kate asked me to tell you to hurry up and make more Southern Comfort sours, and people are eating desserts, oh, and the Doctor and Captain are dueling." Will said quickly, obviously embarrassed.

Tom blinked, "Dueling?"

"With water pistols sir." He added with a grin despite himself.

Olivia laughed, "All right Will, tell Kate we'll be out in a minute."

Will nodded and scampered away wanting to escape the awkwardness that now hung in the air of the kitchen.

Tom groaned and buried his face in Olivia's shoulder. "Damnation." He swore.

Olivia sighed, "I know, I know, no privacy." She leaned her head against his briefly and kissed his forehead. "Guess we'll have to wait."

"Easier said than done." Tom grumbled, unhappy at being stopped, and now struggling for control over himself once more.

Olivia laughed softly, kissing him then hopping off the counter and readjusting her mussed clothing and hair. "I better make those drinks before Kate comes up here with a whip." She looked over at poor Tom, who was still leaning on the counter. "Why don't you go to the bathroom and think of… I don't know… Mr. Allen belly-dancing or something?"

"Olivia!" Tom laughed, "That's…. that's just wrong, dear."

She grinned, "Yes but it would work. Disturbing thoughts usually do." Olivia walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You know, during the fireworks everyone will be distracted."

"And?" Tom raised an eyebrow.

"And… everyone will be outside… distracted…. with loud explosions to cover up any noises from the apartment." She hinted lightly.

A wide grin spread across Tom's face, "Is that so?"

"Might be the only chance for a while." Olivia said calmly, turning back to drink mixing as if they were talking about the weather.

"So…. When they start the fireworks we'll come back here…"

"And pick up right where we left off." Olivia finished for him.

Tom was positively beaming. "As you wish, love." He said, taking her hand and kissing it. "Now, I believe I shall watch the Captain and Doctor duel with water pistols."

Olivia laughed, "Okay, I'll be down in a minute."

Tom kissed her again, wrapping his arms around her as she worked. "I love you." He said kissing her neck.

"So I've heard." Olivia replied.

"Oh really? From who?" He teased.

"A very reliable source." She turned to face him, her eyes shining. "I need ice."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do." She replied. "How else am I going to mix this?"

"You don't need to mix drinks." Tom answered, locking his arms around her. "You should not have to do anything in your life but stay right where you are. With me."

Olivia laughed, "Oh really? Well, tell that to my boss and professors will you? Really Tom, let me go."

He obeyed, still grinning at her, watching as she moved about the kitchen. As soon as she put the ice in the blender and went to put it back in the freezer he caught her arm, pulling her back to him in an embrace once more.

Olivia sighed in overdramatic exasperation. "You're impossible."

"And you're beautiful."

"Punk." She teased. "Weren't you going outside?"

"Wasn't I going to ravage you senseless?" He teased back.

"Tom!" Olivia exclaimed, giggling. "Come on!"

He laughed, "Fine, fine." He let her go, finally turning to leave the kitchen, but pausing in the doorway. "Promise you'll be out soon?"

Olivia rolled her eyes, "I promise."

Tom grinned, chuckling to himself he finally left the apartment to join the others outside. Kate saw him and came over casually, noting his cheesy grin with amusement.

"Liv's on her way?" She asked innocently.

"Yes. She's mixing the drinks now." Tom replied.

"You know you're without a shirt, right?" Kate asked casually.

"Oh!" Tom felt his cheeks grow hot. "Well… it is rather warm out here… and there are other men without shirts… I just thought…"

Kate laughed, "Don't worry about it Tom." She said lightly. "You know, I've never seen Livie as happy as she is with you." Kate commented with a smile.

Tom smiled at Olivia's friend, "Thank you Kate."

Just then, Stephen Maturin ran by and darted behind a large dumpster, hissing Kate and Tom to silence, water pistol at the ready.

Tom raised an eyebrow but did not say anything, but turned to Kate with a shrug. Moments later, Jack Aubrey came by, his own pistol ready, looking around very cautiously. He spotted Tom and Kate and gave a small wave. "Mr. Pullings, Kate, have you seen- AHHH!"

At that instant Stephen jumped out from behind the dumpster, firing streams of water at the naval captain, laughing like a maniac.

"STEPHEN!" Jack shouted, firing back and using Tom as a human shield.

"Sir, I must protest!" Tom exclaimed as Doctor Maturin fired at his opponent, mainly hitting Pullings instead.

"My apologies Mr. Pullings, the tide of battle you see." Jack said, firing back at the Doctor over Tom's shoulder.

"Cease fire! Cease fire! I am out of water!" Stephen shouted, shielding his face.

"Aha! I have you now my good sir!" Jack cried, jumping out from behind his "shield" and firing without mercy on the Doctor.

"JACK!" Stephen shouted, retreating to refill his water pistol with the Captain giving chase, firing as he went.

Tom chuckled, watching them run about like children. "I suppose it is a good thing I have no shirt." He commented to Kate. He then noticed that she was not listening, but staring towards the apartment building, her eyes narrowed and straining to see something. "Kate?"

"Is that?" She asked herself.

Tom followed her gaze to see a young man hurrying down the stairs and towards a car. He did not recognize the man, and he seemed rather in a hurry, but nothing terribly out of the ordinary. People were usually in a hurry in this time it seemed. "What?"

Kate's eyes widened as the young man got in his car, "It is!" She exclaimed, her expression changing from curiosity to a distinct worried look. "Livie…" Without another word she raced towards the building.

Tom was confused, but he got the distinct feeling that something was wrong, and so he raced after her. "Kate, what is it?" He called, following her up the stairs to Olivia's apartment.

Kate burst in, followed closely by Tom. "LIVIE?" Kate called, her tone clearly worried. "LIVIE?"

She was not in the kitchen, or the main room. Tom felt his heart freeze, knowing that something was not right. "Olivia?" He called, following Kate as she ran down the hall to Olivia's room.

Olivia was standing there in the middle of the room quite pale. Relief flooded Tom as she appeared to be unharmed. "Olivia, what is it?" He asked, quickly knowing that something was wrong and putting his arms around her protectively.

Olivia looked at Kate, her eyes wide. "He was here." She said softly, nodding to the wall beside her bed.

Kate and Tom both followed her gaze, to the words painted in bold red the message, "I'M WATCHING YOU" sprawled across the wall.

Kate gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, "Livia…"

Tom held her tighter, obviously whoever left this message meant some sort of harm towards Olivia and he was not going to allow that to happen. "Olivia, what's happening?" He asked softly.

However, her gaze had fallen on something else, and she broke out of his embrace, crossing the room and kneeling at the foot of her bed. Tom watched as she picked up a single rose that had been lying on the floor. "Olivia?"

Kate turned to them, taking everything in then quickly moving to Olivia's side and taking her by the arm. "Olivia, go outside. You shouldn't be in here right now. Tom, take her outside and have Lannie stay with her. Tell her… tell her that Gary's back."

Tom looked over at Kate, still completely confused. "I'd rather stay with-"

"No, it's okay Kate." Olivia said suddenly, looking up at him. The color was coming back into her cheeks and she seemed to have come out of a trance. "I'm fine."

"Livia…"

"Kate, I said I'm fine." Olivia snapped. "Let's just… get out of here." She said, throwing the rose on the floor.

Kate looked unconvinced. "Olivia Corin don't you dare act like nothing is wrong." She said.

"Look, Kate, what am I supposed to do?" Olivia sighed. "I'll call the cops and report it, but there's nothing else I can do at the moment." She then hesitated. "If it's okay with you, I think I'll stay up here and skip the rest of the party."

"You're not staying in here alone." Kate said firmly.

"No, of course not." Tom said, stepping in and taking Olivia's hand in his. "I'm staying with her."

Olivia nodded, "Yes. Tom needs to know what's going on here."

Kate slowly agreed. "All right, fine. I'll just… tell everyone you're not feeling well." She said.

"Don't tell them I'm pregnant." Olivia warned.

"I won't!" Kate threw up her hands. "Geez, Lannie wouldn't know sarcastic if it bit her on the ass."

Olivia chuckled, squeezing Tom's hand. "Come on."

They all went out into the main room and Kate paused a moment. "Liv, are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'm fine." Olivia said, "Really."

Kate nodded, "All right." She hugged her friend quickly, then turned and went back outside.

Olivia sighed, "I need to make a phone call. Then I promise I'll tell you everything." She said to Tom.

He nodded. "All right." He said, sitting on the sofa as she went into the kitchen to make her call. He heard her speaking to an "Inspector Mallow" about what had happened. She sounded very calm and even, but he could detect a tremor in her tone and he waited patiently for her to finish.

When she came out her expression looked exhausted, worried, and just plain worn out. She handed him his shirt with an apologetic half-smile. "I don't think I'll be in the mood tonight Tom." She said softly.

Tom took his shirt back, watching her with concern. He pulled her onto the sofa to sit with him, holding her close, wanting to chase away the world and protect her from whatever sorrow or troubles she was having. He frowned, feeling her body stiffen in his embrace. This was not Olivia at all. Something was troubling her deeply and he tightened his hold on her, desperate to understand what was happening here. "Love, what's the matter?" He asked.

Olivia shivered slightly, her eyes closed and she leaned against him for support. For a moment she merely sat I n silence, building her courage. Finally, she spoke softly. "I'm afraid." She admitted, to herself more than anything.

"I won't let anything happen to you." Tom swore, his jaw setting in determination. "Olivia, I know that I failed you in the past, and you….. you died." He stumbled a bit over that word. It was a bitter memory, one that flashed through his nightmares. The split second in which Olivia had run between him and harm's way, then collapsing with a bullet in her back, then watching her slowly fade away and being helpless to stop it. He now had a second chance to be with her and he was not going to let her be taken from him so cruelly again. He would die first. "But I swear to you I will not let that happen again. Whoever he is, I will not let him harm you."

Olivia paused, looking up at him a moment. "Oh Tom…" She said softly, leaning against him and feeling safe there beside him. "I know you will. But that's not what I'm afraid of… well… it is… sort of… but anyway…" She trailed off, distracted by her thoughts.

"Then what?" He prompted, confused.

"I'm afraid you won't understand." She admitted. "I've made mistakes. More than I care to count. And I'm afraid that if you know some of them you…" She faded off once more, with a sigh, scooting away from him on the sofa and crossing her arms defensively.

"Olivia," Tom put an arm over her shoulder for a moment then rubbed her back soothingly. She looked as if she was going to cry at any moment and he could not stand to see that. "You know I love you. And you know I will love you no matter what. Your past, dear, it doesn't really matter now does it? You can do nothing to change it, can you? I promise I will not hold it against you. I cannot. I love you too much."

She smiled slightly, "You're too good to be true sometimes." She said, curling up with him again with a sigh. "All right. I'll tell you the story." She paused a minute, thinking of where to begin. "It was my first year in college, living away from home, first time out of the control of my mother and grandmother. Anyway, I went to this frat party and got a little… well… I was completely drunk. And that's where I met Gary. I don't remember all that happened, but I know I ended up in bed with him." She sighed again, casting a sidelong glance at him to see how he was taking all this.

Tom's face was going red with anger at what he perceived to be her telling of a violation that happened years ago. He licked his lips, trying to buy time to think of a reaction, and attempting to control his anger. "He…. Olivia, he raped you?"

"No Tom." Olivia said firmly. "I was willing, well, I was drunk and didn't really know what I was doing. But I went to bed with him of my own drunken free will."

"He still took advantage of you." Tom pointed out, frowning.

Olivia held up a hand, "I know, but I shouldn't have been so drunk. Anyway, it was years ago and that doesn't even matter." She shook her head slightly, pausing to consider what to say next. "Anyway, afterwards I ended up dating him, and Gary turned out to be a bit…. possessive to say the least. Everywhere I went he followed me. If I so much as looked at another guy he went completely insane. He wanted me to drop out of school and marry him, and I certainly didn't want that, so I told him I didn't want to see him again after about a week." Olivia shook her head sadly, "He wouldn't leave me alone. Everywhere I went he was there. He kept leaving me all these messages, scary ones. If I was with another guy he would threaten them, threaten me, try to force himself on me. It wasn't a good situation Tom. Not at all. Anyway, he even went so far as to place a hidden camera in my bedroom and that was when I finally wised up and got the police involved."

"A camera?" Tom raised an eyebrow. "What is that exactly?"

"It's what records what you see on the TV." Olivia replied. "He apparently wanted to watch me all the time." She said bitterly.

Tom blinked slowly, "Oh…"

"Anyway," Olivia sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear again. "I got a restraining order and he had to stay away from me, last thing I knew he moved out of town, but now… apparently… he's back."

"He will not get near you." Tom swore, determinedly. "You have my word."

Olivia bit her lip, frowning. "He's a scary guy, Tom. Not right in the head. Knowing he was here, he was here while we…" She trailed off and sighed again, rubbing her temples in an attempt to fight a headache. "I refuse to live my life in fear." She said determinedly. "I have to go on like I always do."

Tom paused a moment, "Olivia, I don't want you in any danger." He said. "I've lost you once, and I could not stand seeing you hurt again."

"I'll be fine Tom. I can handle Gary." She said quickly. "Let's change the subject shall we?" She asked. "The cops can't come out until tomorrow to check my room for cameras or anything… can I change in yours?"

Tom nodded, "Of course, love."

Olivia stood, "Don't worry about me, Tom. I'm okay now. Just not in much of a party mood." She assured him. "I'll be right back." She disappeared down the hall to change, leaving Tom alone a moment.

He sighed heavily, taking in everything she just told him. He was uncomfortable with a strange man following his Olivia, watching her all the time, and he knew she feared this man, despite her attempt at courage, he knew she was afraid. He also hated it when she talked of her previous relationships. It was quite clear to him that Olivia was no virgin, and it was also obvious she was not ashamed of that fact and was quite honest with him about that sort of thing. However, there were some things he'd rather not know, and her drunken indiscretions were in that category. She was not like the respectable young ladies he knew in his own time, that was becoming increasingly clear every day. Yet, he still loved her more than anything. She was all he seemed to have left now. His career was gone, his home, the ship, his entire life, except for Olivia. As much as he loved her, he couldn't help but miss his life. He missed the sound of the wind in the sails, the salty spray on his lips, the rocking of the waves. He missed a world that made sense to him, instead of being constantly assaulted with new ideas, objects, and strange forward people.

"What are you thinking?"

Tom looked up suddenly, not realizing how much time had passed. Olivia was back and had changed clothes, watching him carefully. "What?"

"Okay, I know that was really stereo-typical of me to say that, but you had that far away look on your face. She said, sitting down beside him again in silence for a moment. Then finally she asked again. "Do you miss it? Your time? Your ship?"

"Well… yes." He admitted. "I miss it terribly. This time does not make any sense and everything is different." He had started, and now he could not stop. His words tumbled over one another. "There's no order here. Everyone is loud and forward, and I have absolutely no purpose to my life anymore. I've never felt so helpless in my life."

Olivia looked away, fighting tears. He was miserable she was sure of it, and she so wanted him to be happy. "Oh." Was all she could manage for a reply, determined not to let him see how his honesty upset her.

Tom sighed, of course he noticed she was on the verge of tears. He had said the wrong thing, that much was obvious. It have been a long day for her and an upsetting discovery and now he had gone and upset her further by telling her he was miserable. He carefully slid an arm around her shoulders, bringing her closer to him and stroking her long hair in attempt to comfort her. "But then I see you." He said softly.

Olivia raised an eyebrow and looked up at him, "And… is this a good thing?"

He laughed slightly, "Then I see you and I forget how everything has changed. I forget that I miss the ship and my life, in fact Olivia, when I see you I forget everything entirely." He kissed her lightly. "I'd rather have you with me than anything."

She smiled a bit, obviously he had said the right thing. "Even a ship of your very own command Mr. Pullings?" She teased.

"Of course, dear. I'd rather have you than my own fleet." He grinned like an excited schoolboy, "There are things I can do with you, dear, that if I did with a ship the splinters would be Hell."

Olivia stared at him for a moment, then burst into laughter. "Tom Pullings, I believe I am a bad influence on you."

"Indeed you are." He teased, kissing her again, this time they lingered, with far more passion and did not stop until a loud bang interrupted.

Olivia smiled, "Fireworks from town." She explained, standing and going over to the window to watch.

Tom joined her, approaching from behind and wrapping his arms around her, watching the spectacular display before them. The fireworks were brilliant and vivid, but all he could think of was the woman in his arms. There was so much more to her than meets the eye. She pretended strength, but he could see the vulnerability as well. He wanted to protect her. He wanted to keep everything from her, yet he knew he couldn't. She would never allow it anyway, he was quite sure. He still had the feeling she was keeping things from him. Her disconnection from her family was certainly a mystery. With a small smile he realized he had never known her to be anything but a mystery. Women. Why must they be so vague? So secretive? **_That_** was the real mystery.

"Tom?"

He could immediately tell by her tone that her mood had changed. She was troubled again. Tom regarded her curiously, tightening his hold on her instinctively. "Yes?"

"I…. I don't think I'll be able to sleep in my room tonight." She said slowly. "Could I stay in yours maybe?"

"It's your apartment, dear." He said gently. "We'll trade. I'll stay in your room and you'll stay in mine. We can move Blakeney's cot as well."

Olivia shrugged. "He can stay. It's no big deal." She hesitated. "Honestly, I… I might feel better if someone else is there. And I know you won't stay." She said with a small smile. "Seeing as it's 'inappropriate'."

"It would be." Tom answered. "But… I can stay until you fall asleep. If you'd like." He added.

Olivia nodded, closing her eyes for a moment, as if gaining composure. "I think I would." She answered.

"Good." Tom watched the last batch of fireworks light up the sky, filling it with light. "This is quite lovely, dear." He commented.

"It is." Olivia smiled, leaning against him. "I always loved this holiday. When I was little I used to go up one of the mountains, climb a tree, and watch the fireworks all over the valley. Then my little brother and I would chase lightening bugs until Mama would make us come in. I'd keep them in a jar beside my bed and watch them as I fell asleep. My father once told me they were each a little piece of the fireworks, and I wanted to believe him and hold onto them as long as possible." She smiled indulgently. "Silly, I know."

"Not at all." He smiled, he loved hearing stories from her childhood, though the more he knew her, the more he noticed the hint of sadness when she spoke up home. "I used to climb trees when I was lad as well." He told her. "Not to see fireworks of course, but I'd pretend they were the masts of my ship." He chuckled. "And I damn near drove my poor mother mad with my carelessness."

Olivia laughed, "You? Causing trouble? I can't imagine."

"Oh I had good intentions, I assure you." Tom grinned. "I was fighting for King and country." He said, trying not to laugh.

"Of course." Olivia raised her chin, fighting a smile. "The King's servant first and foremost."

"No… the King's servant of course, but first and foremost, my dear Olivia, I am yours." He said, kissing her hand.

"Thomas Pullings that has got to be one of the cheesiest things you have ever said to me since we met!" She teased with a cheerful laugh.

"I highly doubt that." Tom returned her chuckle. "I seem to make so many highly sentimental, and as you say, cheesy, remarks when I'm with you."

"You do. The sad thing is I fall for them every single time." She kissed him smiling. "Happy 4th of July dear."

Tom laughed, "Am I allowed to return the sentiment?" He asked, teasingly. "Seeing how I am the villain, an Englishman at an American holiday?"

Olivia rolled her eyes, "You're just looking for my sympathy, sir."

"I am. Is it working?" He asked, innocently.

"Maybe." She replied.

He kissed her, "Now?"

"That works well, yes." Olivia smiled happily. "When was the last time I told you how much I loved you?"

Tom laughed, "Now THAT my dear, was cheesy." He kissed her hand and once again wrapped his arms around her, "Happy July, love."

"It's happy 4th of July, and I never said you could say that." She teased.

He smirked, "Fine." He said, attempting to sound hurt and letting go of Olivia, returning to the sofa. "I know when I'm not wanted."

Olivia sighed with mock burden and suddenly raced across the room, pouncing on him like a cat, curling up next to him and forcing him to snuggle. "You know you're wanted." She said, looking up at him, curling up at his side with his arm around her.

He smiled, kissing the top of her head, sitting in silence happy in her presence, perfectly content to remain there with her until the end of time.

* * *

A/N: Yep this chapter was long. So no wonder it took so long eh? Anyway, to sum up for those of you like me with no attention span whatsoever:

Blakeney learned to hack. Olivia's horny. Tom wants privacy…. and is trying not to be horny as his horniness was interrupted. Jack and Stephen had a water gun fight. Olivia has a scary stalker. Tom still didn't get any. Olivia has lots of issues. Secret ones. Add sap and mush needed.

Yeah I'd say that sums it up. One more chapter and then I'll FINALLY be done with July. This story is going to be mucho long. But after the next chapter I get to move onto August! Yay! August is going to be fun. Elessar King and vouch for that (evil grin)

TheMusingFit: Haha I'm glad you don't mind I'm dragging things out. This chapter was waaay too long. Lannie's going to be a regular in this story. Just to torture Jack. Hey, I torture everyone in this story. I'm evil. Hope you enjoyed the very long chapter and stuck with me through it! Thanks!

Calliope-Elven-Agent: Haha you want Olivia to cover up more to make Tom feel better? Haha seems at one point in this chapter he wanted her to lose clothes… hehe. Besides, she doesn't really think about that sort of thing. She just puts on clothes… or lack thereof. Hope you enjoyed the long long chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

Sten: Yay! I distracted you from the horrors of school! Yay! As for 4th of July… it really depends on who you're with. Kate happened to throw a party. My parents have a BBQ some years. Just depends. Either way fireworks are fun. Especially surrounded by hicks with explosives. Now THAT is entertaining. Hope you got to avoid the evilness of school to read this. It certainly was a long chapter and I hope it was enjoyable too! Thanks for the review!

Adena27: Haha something needs to happen with them? Well… something almost did…. eventually something might…. You'll just have to read and see!

ArcherofDarkness: I never could get used to the idea of pineapple on pizza. My sister swears by it though. Water is fun. I love swimming. I would have swum laps today but the pool was closed. Gr. I hate wearing bathing suits too and never wear bikinis. Ever. All I wear are swimmer suits (you know the ones I'm talking about?) because I grew up on a swim team and mom works at a store that sells swimmer stuff. Olivia however is obviously not self-conscious, and she'll drive poor Tom crazy because of it. Hehe anyway m'dear hope you enjoyed the long neverending chapter! Thanks for sticking with me!

Anyana: I think this last week just about killed me. But thanks for the wish of luck! Hope you liked my long long chapter and stuck with me! Sorry it was so long! Thanks for reviewing dear!

Serena: Hope this chapter lived up to expectations. And hope I didn't keep you waiting too long… but you can see why it took so long, being as it IS long. Thanks for reviewing!

Wing Pikepaw: Haha Stephen beating Jack up with a sledgehammer? That's just funny. I love minesweeper! I've beaten it too so there! Haha. Okay actually I can only do the intermediate level. And just so you know, Olivia doesn't live in a dorm. She lives in an apartment off campus. Hehe and I passed your message on to Tom.

Tom: No I will NOT get used to it! Olivia should put some clothes on!

Me: Seems like you were trying to take them off earlier.

Tom: That's private!

Me: Haha Tom's horny!

Tom: Shut up!

Me: Make me!

Tom: I will! (pulls hair)

Me: OWWW! Oh that's it! You're not getting any for the rest of the story!

Tom: Damn! I'm sorry!

Me: (grumble) And I may kill one of you off again.

Tom: Let me get you a bacardi….

I like Lannie too. She's going to be in future chapters. Haha maybe she and Jack can play battleship or something. Hope you enjoyed Chapter 6! Thanks for reviewing dear!

Angel of the Night Watchers: I'm glad it amused you. I hope this chapter amused you too! Thanks for reviewing and hope you enjoyed my long chapter!

Elessar King: Haha could you hurry up with that petition for my professors? I swear they're trying to kill me! I updated as soon as I could… do I get galaxy bars from Eldarion now? Hope your shoulder feels better and I'm sorry you were attacked by the stairs. Oh… and we NEED to teach Bors a new sentence. Cheers m'dear!

Okay… I hope I got everyone! Thanks for reviewing guys! Hope you enjoyed my long chapter and stuck with me! Review and maybe I'll be nicer to Tom… maybe.

Tom: (snort) We all know that's not true.

Me: It's called a bribe you idiot.

Tom: But…. I thought you said you were going to be nicer to me?

Me: No one's reviewed yet. (pokes Tom with a stick)

Tom: Grrr…

Happy reading m'dears!


	7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

It was night, very late at night. Once returning from the party everyone had gone to bed almost immediately. It had been a long day. Jack and Stephen had both lectured the young men about safety with explosives after they almost blew up a car with fireworks, and Blakeney had spent the entire evening with a group of rather shaggy young men, playing hack-sac and being introduced to the music of a band playing on their stereo by a group called 'Phish'. All had been rather tired from their activities, and had all gone to bed, Jack once again filling the apartment with his loud snores.

Olivia however had not fallen asleep right away. She seemed to stay wide-awake forever, much to Tom's dismay, who was rather tired himself. True to his word though, he stayed with Olivia. Determined not to fall asleep until well after she did. Blakeney had not questioned their trade of beds for the night. In fact, he barely noticed, crawling into his bed well before Olivia and Tom had left the other room and had been asleep the whole time. Olivia had asked time and time again if Tom was okay with the arrangement, and if he didn't mind she was taking his bed, and he had ensured her that he didn't. He had sat on the end of the futon as she crawled in. However, she never seemed to fall asleep. Her eyes staying wide open and she spoke to him softly, amazingly she seemed to talk for hours without actually saying anything. It was almost as if she was afraid to fall asleep.

However, she lost the battle. Eventually her eyelids drooped and her breathing became steady, and she was finally asleep. Tom hesitated for a moment, watching her. He brushed a strand of her hair out of her face gently, and then carefully tucked the blankets closer to her. He hated to leave her. He could tell she was frightened, and she certainly had fought off sleep as long as possible. He did not know what to do. He shouldn't stay, and yet he wanted to stay. He was exhausted and it was late. With a sigh he turned, casting one last glance at sleeping Olivia, and then leaving the room to go to sleep in hers instead.

It was strange being in there alone. The room reflected so much of Olivia's personality and her life. The pictures on the walls of her friends, the various displays. Playbills she had said. One for every opera or show she'd done at the university. There was a great deal of them, as well as photos of various casts and groups she'd been a part of. Everything was in its place of course. Neatness was something that would always be characteristically Olivia, and he knew that would never change.

With a yawn he climbed into bed. It felt strange to be there. The pillow held the slightest lingering scent of her hair and he still was not comfortable in her bedroom alone. It was as if he was invading her privacy, with her permission. Tom sighed, rolling over and looking at the clock. It was far too late and he was tired. No use in worrying now. He closed his eyes and had soon drifted off into a dream filled sleep.

_Olivia was standing with her back to him, looking out over the water, humming softly and rocking a little squirming bundle in her arms. Tom smiled contently, watching Olivia and the little creature as she paced, trying to calm the fussy bundle. A wind picked up, blowing her hair over her shoulders. A little hand shot up from the bundle and caught some loose strands, pulling them down. Olivia turned slightly, "Ouch!" She exclaimed. "You've got my hair little one. I don't imagine that's very tasty."_

_Tom chuckled, watching the pair. He felt an amazing sense of joy and pride watching them. He could not help but smile as she fussed over the wrapped up little creature._

_"Tom, Tom I need you." Olivia called, shifting the baby with a pained expression._

_Tom approached them, still smiling with pride, reaching for them. To his horror they began to fade and everything around him went dark. "Olivia?" He called, waving his arm around in desperate hope that he would catch them._

_Suddenly Olivia cried out in pure pain and agony, "TOM!" Children were screaming and crying in terror as Olivia screamed and his vision slowly cleared once more._

_He was running down a dark hallway. He did not recognize the place at all, it was dark and cold and the air seemed strangely moist. None of the doors would open. He rushed from one to the other with urgency, begging them to open, but none would budge. He had to find her. He had to get there_.

_A piercing scream split the air, echoing down the hall, ringing in Tom's ears as his heart froze as he recognized the voice immediately. Olivia. She was shouting for him, screaming in pain and terror. He had to find her. Now. He ran to the last door, tugging desperately only to find it locked securely. _

_"OLIVIA!" He pounded at the door, determined to break it down if it killed him. "OLIVIA! I'M COMING!" The door did not move, refusing to give way. _

_The screams continued, becoming more and more piercing and urgent with each one. Tom pounded harder on the door. "DAMN YOU! OPEN!" He shouted in frustration and anger. All he could hear where those screams, they filled his mind, driving him mad with a feeling of helplessness. _

_He began to feel weak as he pounded at the door, and he slowly sank to the ground, still pounding at the door with his fists, "OLIVIA! NO!" He shouted once more, as the screams became the only thing he was aware of, sinking into darkness._

Tom jerked awake, sitting up with a start, breathing heavily. He sighed as he slowly recognized his surroundings. It had been a dream, nothing more, thank God. He slowly lay back down feeling rather shaky. Those screams had sounded so real, so horrible and the terror he felt had made his heart quicken.

"NO!" A scream split the night suddenly, breaking the silence and causing Tom to bolt up once more.

"Olivia!" He jumped up, hearing her screams continue in the next room. She sounded terrified and was shouting words he could not understand. He burst in the room, pausing only to see the scene in the room she had been sharing with Blakeney for the night.

The lad was up, standing about a foot from her, his eyes wide with surprise and terror, staring at the woman on the bed in shock.

Olivia was tossing violently, shouting and stuttering in a language Tom did not understand, her face was streaked with tears and she was screaming in terror, speaking in a tone that was pleading, between her violent sobs. How could she possibly still be asleep?

"Olivia…" Tom immediately rushed to her side, catching her arms as she tossed, trying to hold her still. He noticed she really did seem to be asleep. "Olivia, wake up!" He called, desperately trying to keep her still and wake her.

The door burst open once more and Jack and Stephen stumbled onto the scene looking tired but alert by her screams. "Mr. Pullings, what the devil is all this commotion about?" Jack demanded, staring at Olivia in surprise.

"I have no idea." Tom said, still trying to keep Olivia from pushing him off the futon. "Olivia, sh… wake up!" He frantically gripped both her arms, upset to see her in such terror. He shook her firmly, "Wake up!" He urged.

Olivia jerked awake with a sudden gasp, pushing away from Tom, her eyes wide in terror. Taking deep breaths she looked around in surprise, as if trying to remember where she was for a moment, her eyes still the widest Tom had ever seen, glassy with fear. She stared at the others, as if unsure of what to say. "T…Tom?" She managed to stutter, still gasping for breath.

"Olivia…" He quickly pulled her into an embrace, "It's all right." He said, desperate to comfort her.

She was still choking back sobs, shaking beyond control. She buried her tear-streaked face in his chest, squeezing her eyes shut as he held her tightly, confused but determined to comfort her.

Stephen cleared his throat, casting a significant look at Jack, "Mr. Blakeney." He said, getting the boys attention and nodding to the door. Silently they all left, leaving Tom to the obviously distraught Miss Corin.

Olivia was still shaking, and Tom pulled the quilt off the bed, wrapping it around her in case she was cold, rubbing her back like a child. "It's all right, love, it was a dream, nothing more." He assured her gently.

She looked up slowly, calming a bit, enough to at least speak. "I'm sorry." She said softly.

Tom looked at her quizzically. "Olivia…"

She suddenly jerked away from him, distracted. "I need some air." She declared, rising on unsteady legs and quickly leaving the room with a very confused and stunned Tom Pullings in her wake.

He sat there a moment, trying to make sense of what happened before getting up and quickly following her. He stopped in the main room where the others were seated, but no Olivia. "Where-?" He asked them, looking about.

Jack pointed to the door. "Outside." He said with a nod.

Tom quickly went out the door to see Olivia seated on the steps outside. She was leaning against the wall, staring out at what appeared to be nothing. He approached her slowly, seeing tears silently running down her cheeks.

"Olivia?" He asked, sitting next to her on the cool concrete floor. "What is wrong? Please, tell me."

Olivia shrugged, quickly wiping her eyes and looked away. "Nothing… it's nothing Tom." She said softly.

"Olivia…" He put an arm around her. "Please? I only want to help."

"You can't help me, Tom." She said softly, almost to herself. "No one can."

He stared at her, extremely confused. He had no idea what was wrong, but seeing her in pain, crying alone broke his heart. She had been shouting in terror not minutes before and now she was insisting nothing was wrong. Something had to have seriously upset or disturbed her.

"Oh Olivia…" He said gently, holding her close, trying to comfort her. "Please, tell me, what's the matter?" He begged, wanting to be let in. Wanting to know what demons were torturing her so that he could chase them away.

She sighed, jerking away from his embrace again more insistently. "Tom, really. I just want to be left alone for a bit, okay?" She snapped.

He froze in shock. She had never used that tone with him before, never. He stared at her as she looked away, refusing to meet his eye. Slowly, he stood stiffly, "Very well." He said, trying to maintain his composure. The truth was he wanted to cry. She had been so upset, so terrified, and he wanted to help her more than anything. He wanted to protect her and she was pushing him away, refusing to let him in and now she was insisting on his leaving her alone. "I'll be right inside if you need me." He promised her, watching as she curled up against the wall again, hugging her legs and staring out into the darkness again.

When she made no reply he slowly turned and went back inside. Worry was etched on his every feature as he joined the others in the main room, who were discussing something softly among them. He sank into a nearby chair feeling quite confused, upset, and concerned.

"Is Miss Corin well?" Stephen asked curiously.

Tom shook his head, "I honestly don't know, sir. She will not tell me a thing." He said frustrated. "Mr. Blakeney what happened?"

"I don't know sir." He replied. "I woke up and she was muttering and tossing in a strange sort of tongue. I've never heard the likes of it. Next thing I knew she was screaming." The boy covered a yawn with his hand. "Excuse me, sir."

"Why don't you go back to bed then, Mr. Blakeney." Tom said with a sigh. "You sound tired, lad."

"Thank you sir." Blakeney said, getting up and going back to bed with a yawn. "Goodnight Mr. Pullings, Captain, Doctor." He said as he went back to bed, leaving the gentlemen in the main room.

"Mr. Pullings, do you happen to know what language Miss Corin was speaking in? I have never heard the like." Jack asked, stifling a yawn.

"I have no idea, sir." Tom answered. "Doctor? You speak a fair amount of foreign tongues, do you know?"

Doctor Maturin paused, thinking. "I'm not entirely sure." He admitted finally.

Tom sighed again, running a hand through his hair feeling incredibly useless at the moment. "She sent me away." He said, reflecting more to himself than anything. "She told me to leave her be, and I was most reluctant to do so, but what else could I do?"

Jack watched the younger man with sympathy, and not for the first time wondered if Tom was in over his head with this woman. In the past he found her secretive, and it appeared she would continue to be so despite being in her own time. Secretes and hidden thoughts and motives were not something a decent woman should have. She was quite kind and cheerful, to be sure, and he respected her well enough, but the whole situation was entirely too complicated for his tastes. **_She_** was too complicated for his tastes, and he couldn't help but wonder if Mr. Pullings would be better off with a young lady of his own time, a quiet and cheerful little country girl, like that sweet little thing he had met upon celebrating Tom's promotion to lieutenant years before, that dear mouse of a girl Miss Chubb who had stayed on Tom's arm and smiled so sweet and shyly. He could see her making a far better wife than Miss Corin, that was certain.

And yet he'd never seen a man so in love. It was strange. They were completely mismatched, having nothing in common but their obvious affections towards one another, but that seemed to be enough. He had to admit he was slightly jealous. He and Sophie would never share that sort of love, he was quite sure of it. He felt a great deal of affection towards his wife, of course, but it was nothing compared to Tom and Miss Corin. Jack and Sophie seemed more like comfortable old friends by comparison to Tom and Olivia's fierce sort of love. There was no doubt in Jack's mind that Mr. Pullings would do anything for this girl. The man would throw away his career, his fortune, even his very life for her without hesitation.

"Do you think I should have stayed, sir?" He asked, looking to his Captain for help.

Jack frowned, he was not exactly an expert on these matters. Finally, after a moment of heavy silence, he came up with a reply. "If Miss Corin asked you to leave I imagine you had no other option. If she was determined to keep whatever is troubling her a secret she most certainly will."

Tom nodded, slowly, knowing he was right. "That's true. She is certainly the most stubborn woman I have ever known. Still…." He sighed, not wanting to leave her alone outside at such an hour, especially in light of what had happened at the party this evening. She should not be anywhere alone, suppose that man came and tried to hurt her? Something could happen and he would not know until it was too late. He had to admit he was worried about her safety as well as her mental state. He rose from his seat, deciding upon a course of action. "Still she should not be outside at such a late hour alone." He declared. "I apologize for keeping you gentlemen awake."

"Pay it no mind, Tom." Stephen said, already laying back down in his make-shift bed and yawning sleepily.

"Goodnight Mr. Pullings." Jack said, also returning to the sofa for sleep.

"Goodnight sir, Doctor." Tom replied, turning and heading back outside to check on Olivia.

When he reached the stairs where he left her he found that she was no longer there at all. With a start he looked around, worried something might have happened. Panic started to rise and he fought to control it, hoping that she merely went for a walk. He quickly ran down the stairs into the parking lot, looking about for any sign of her. When he saw none his heart began to beat faster, and he shouted, despite the late hour, "OLIVIA?"

"I'm over here, Tom." Across the street from the apartment complex was a collection of swings that Olivia explained were for children to play and climb upon, she called it a 'playground'. There seated calmly on one of the swings, swaying slightly with the breeze and dragging her bare toes in the dirt was Olivia.

He crossed the empty street to her with caution. Relieved to see her unharmed, but annoyed at her extreme lack of judgment and caution. An unmarried woman outside unescorted at this hour of night, particularly an attractive young woman who had someone after her, seemed highly irresponsible and dangerous to him. Nevertheless he tried to walk casually over to her, keeping the obvious worry out of his voice, yet he knew he was failing miserably, he approached her. "Lovely night." He said, standing in front of her, watching as she continued digging her toes in the dirt, making patterns.

"Hm." Came the reply. Olivia leaned back in the swing, looking at the sky. "It's clear." She said, with a slight smile, sitting back up.

"The breeze is quite cool, refreshing really, it was rather warm today don't you agree?" He said, trying to start a conversation and finding the weather a safe and neutral topic.

Olivia raised an eyebrow, not fooled for an instant by his attempts at a casual conversation. "Tom, I know you didn't come out here to discuss the weather."

"No, you caught me." He said, offering her a weak smile. "I wanted to make sure you were all right. And besides that you shouldn't be out here alone, Olivia. It's very late and dark and certainly not safe for an unescorted lady, especially since…" He trailed off noticing the dark glare she was giving him. With a deep breath for strength he continued. "Olivia, there is a man out there that intends you harm. What would you have me do?"

She sighed, jamming her big toe into the dirt distractedly. "I can take care of myself, Tom." She said determinedly. "I can handle Gary. I'm not helpless you know."

Tom held up a hand in defense, "I am not implying that you are." He said quickly. "I just… Olivia, I just want to help you in any way I can."

"Tom Pullings to the rescue is it?" Olivia said with a hint of sarcasm he knew very well.

"No…" Tom sighed, he was digging himself into a hole and he knew it. "But…" He licked his lips, trying to think of an argument. "Well, I imagine that's what marriage is, isn't it? I help you, you help me, because we love each other?"

Olivia stared at him blankly a moment, surprised at his words. "And you're suggesting we start this… partnership of sorts…. early?" She said, a slightly amused tone hinted behind her question. "Practice makes perfect?"

Tom smiled, "I could not have said it better, dear."

Olivia gave a small laugh and pushed a swing towards him. "Well, it's a nice night and I'm not quite ready to go back to bed. Pull up a swing?"

He nodded, settling down in the swing, his feet settling well in the cool dirt below where the grass was worn away. They sat in silence for a moment, listening to the chirping of crickets that filled the night air.

Finally, Olivia spoke softly, resting her head against the metal chain holding her swing. "I wouldn't worry about Gary too much, Tom." She said. "He'll probably disappear for a while before I see him again. He likes to do that. Surface, then disappear, then he'll show up somewhere a month or so later."

"You should still exercise caution, Olivia." Tom said, quite seriously. He looked over at her, watching her intensely. "Promise me you will?"

Olivia looked up and met his eyes. With a nod she replied, "I promise."

Silence fell upon them again, and Olivia stifled a wide yawn behind her hand. He could see the exhaustion in her face, and reached over, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear to get her attention. "Why don't you go back to bed?" He asked.

Olivia shook her head, "I don't want to sleep tonight." She admitted. "Not after…" She trailed off, looking away and up at the stars once more.

"Your dream?" Tom asked gently.

She nodded, a small sheepish smile, "Stupid, yes?"

"Of course not." He replied. "Even the best of us have dreams we'd rather not face." Tom shuddered slightly, thinking of his own dream earlier that night.

"Even you?" Olivia looked at him, eyebrow raised curiously.

Tom hesitated, a slight lump appeared in his throat and he swallowed hard, contemplating an answer. "There are things in battle, horrible things, which never truly leave you." He admitted.

Olivia noticed his change in tone and shook her head slightly, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No, no, it's all right." He said, feeling rather thrown off now and attempting to recover.

She slowly rose from her swing and knelt before him, gazing up into his face and gently reaching up, running her finger lightly down the great scar on his face. "Is this one of them?" She asked quietly.

Tom gave her a slight nod, turning his face to kiss the tip of her finger. "A Turk caught me with his saber, clean across the face when boarding a ship." He explained, reflectively. "I had a great fever afterwards, and was quite certain I would die, but Doctor Maturin, bless him, patched my face back together as best he could and saw me through."

Olivia listened attentively, leaning forward to kiss him gently. "I'm sorry, love." She said earnestly.

Tom gave her a small smile, "Don't be. It wasn't your fault."

"No, but I'm still sorry you were in pain." She said. "That wasn't the only time the Doctor had to patch you up, was it?" She asked, knowingly.

"Heavens no." Tom said with a slight laugh. "I am lucky the Doctor has such a fine hand for stitching or I'd be in worse a state than I already am."

Olivia rolled her eyes, "Your _state_ is perfectly fine, Tom Pullings, and don't you dare tell me otherwise."

Tom could not help but laugh at her scolding tone. "As you wish, Miss Corin." He teased. They stayed in a comfortable silence for another moment. Olivia rose and stood on her swing, rocking it back and forth, absently, humming to herself, seemingly lost in reflection. He watched her a moment before venturing a question.

"And what of your dreams?" He asked. "What haunts you so?"

Olivia paused, looking at him sharply, and Tom knew immediately the question was not a welcome one, yet he could not withdraw it now. Olivia assumed a defensive stance, crossing her arms around the chains to hold herself up and across her front, a deep frown etched on her features. "Different things." She said slowly. "Things that I'd rather forget."

He frowned, puzzled by her reply. "Would you like to talk about it?" He urged gently, hoping she would shed some light on the subject.

Olivia shook her head slowly, leaning back to pick up some sway, swinging calmly, distractedly staring into space. "Not really." She sighed, "I know it's unfair of me, you let me in and now I'm blocking you out. I just… I don't really like to talk about these things."

Tom watched her with sympathy, "Olivia, you don't have to tell me anything. You owe me nothing, you know that."

She smiled weakly, "They're just dreams. Bad memories, that sort of thing."

"About…. about the _Wilmington_?" He hated to think of that, knowing it had been a frightening experience for her.

Olivia shook her head, "Not so much that. Sometimes, well, after I came out of that coma and you were gone I dreamed of you, losing you. I had a pretty bad break down and was pretty messed up for a while, you can ask Kate and Lannie, it wasn't a good time." She shrugged her shoulders. "But normally they're dreams I've had since I was little. My childhood…. well… there were some things that were…. unpleasant to say the least." She sighed, hopping off the swing. "Can we change the subject please?" She asked, wiping her eyes, hoping he wouldn't notice her tears.

Tom however was watching her too closely not to notice, and he stood, pulling her into a hug. "Olivia, I'm sorry."

She gave him another weak smile, feeling comforted in his embrace. "It's nothing, Tom, really. I turned out… semi-okay anyway." She joked lamely.

"More than okay." He kissed the top of her head, still holding her. "You're wonderful."

"Flattery will get you no where, Mr. Pullings." She teased with a slight gleam in her eyes.

"Yes it will." He leaned down, kissing her with a smile.

"Maybe." Her green eyes were shining now, the tears all wiped away. Suddenly she yawned again, covering it with her hand. "Sorry."

"Olivia, you're tired. Go to bed." He pleaded with concern.

She made a face, "Do I have to?"

"Yes." He teased. Suddenly he swooped her off her feet. "You do." He declared.

"Tom!" Olivia exclaimed, laughing. "You'll drop me."

"I will not." He replied, grinning ear to ear, and proceeded to carry her back to the apartment, setting her on the steps, kissing her happily. "There, my lady's feet did not touch the dirt." He declared proudly.

Olivia laughed, "Oh yeah, because they're so clean." She said glancing at her toes, which were dusty red from digging in the dirt.

"Indeed." He chuckled, taking her arm and heading up the stairs. Suddenly, he remembered another mystery he had hoped to fin the answer to and he glanced at her, wondering if he should ask.

"What Tom?" She asked.

"What?"

"You had that look, that look like you're going to ask me something but aren't sure if you should." Olivia said, with a small smile. "I know that look."

He laughed a bit. "Yes well." Tom hesitated a moment. "I was just wondering if you spoke another language."

"Oh, was a muttering during my dream?" She asked casually.

Tom nodded, "But I didn't know what language. I've never heard the like. What was it?"

"Hungarian." Olivia said with a smile. "My Grandmother's Hungarian, and after my Dad left when I was five she moved in with us, and we were required to speak it at home. It made her feel more comfortable." She rolled her eyes. "Useless really, Spanish would have been more practical, but at least I can swear at people and have a good chance of them not knowing what I'm saying."

Tom laughed, "Yes that would be a useful skill."

They stopped at her door and Olivia cracked it, putting a finger to her lips to indicate that Jack and Stephen were both asleep in the main room. They quietly slipped down the hallway and paused at her door.

"Do you mind if I stay in your room still?" She whispered. "That whole hidden camera possibility really bothers me."

"Of course." He kissed her forehead. "Goodnight, love."

She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and lingering a moment. "Goodnight Tom." She stood on her toes to kiss him. "And thank you, thank you for being there."

He smiled, kissing her again, both lingering and neither really wanting to part. Finally, Tom could not fight a yawn and Olivia chuckled softly, releasing him. "Go to bed, Tom. It's almost morning."

He smiled, "Goodnight." He said, turning and going into her room to sleep for the night.

Olivia sighed, "Goodnight." She watched him for a moment, disappearing into her room. He had been so perfect tonight, saying all the right things, she badly wanted to curl up next to him and stay the rest of the night, but she knew better. The timing wasn't right. There might be a camera with Gary watching, and the thought of him watching her with Tom made her skin crawl. She did not much like the idea of Gary watching Tom sleep on his own either, but there was little she could do about that. There was no where else for him to sleep except either on the floor or with her, and she was probably just being paranoid, but she could not bring herself to sleep in there until she knew for certain. With a sigh she turned and went back to the room Tom usually shared with Blakeney, who was fast asleep on the air mattress. She sat on the futon for a moment, then curled up and eventually fell into a peaceful sleep until morning.

* * *

A/N: Hey! I updated in a decent amount of time! And I finally finished 4th of July! Yay! That's cause to celebrate. Thank the weather for giving me a snow day Monday so I could write. Ahhh snow. It rocks. 

So Olivia has issues. Who doesn't? Haha and she has mood swings I know, but she's a girl, and we're entitled to mood swings ladies! So this chapter served no purpose other than to establish that Tom's sweet and Olivia has issues. Oh! And Tom worries too much.

Haha has anyone else noticed that Miss Flossy, Zen Lady, and I all tend to update around the same time? Is that a coincidence or what? Just thought I'd point that out.

Wing Pikepaw: Why yes, Olivia has a stalker. Bum bum bum! And Tom doesn't like it at all. Getting Stephen and Jack away from the water pistols could be difficult though. As for Blakeney, he gets to have a side story coming up…. How big of a side story I don't know yet… but maybe I'll give him a chapter to himself at some point. Don't know. We'll have to wait and see mwahahaha! Thanks for reviewing m'dear! And I hope you liked chapter seven.

Sakai213: Hehe suspense and horniness are a great combination. I'm glad you're enjoying my story as much as I'm having fun writing it. Working on this is a great break from writing for my classes. Thanks for reviewing and I hope you liked chapter seven.

ArcherofDarkness: Haha I have no idea where Olivia comes from. She's original. Some of the characters in this story are based off of people I know though. Learn more about Gary in August? Patience my dear… he'll show up eventually. Fencing lessons! I'm jealous! I always wanted to learn! But growing up in a relatively rural redneck town you don't exactly have many options for fencing. Everyone can shoot a deer, but no one can fence. Good luck doing your homework m'dear! Hope you enjoyed the update! Bye!

Eldarwen999: Haha no I don't have a plot to get rid of Jack, Stephen, and Blakeney. They fade into the background because they're not really the primary focus of this story. They're there quite frankly as comic relief and to keep Tom company. They'll have more scenes throughout the story, but my main storyline is obviously Tom and Olivia. Are they going to beat the snot out of the stalker? You'll have to wait and see! Hope you enjoyed chapter seven and thanks for reviewing!

Miss Flossy: Well, it WAS taking off. Haha I sort of crashed on this chapter, getting bogged down in relationship and character development. Do you think I emphasized that Tom's overprotective and worried enough? Stop teasing them you say? Why? I'm having fun teasing them! It's torture! Hehe you torture Tom in your way and I'll torture him in my way… mwahahahaha. I don't think the thinness of apartment walls helps. Blakeney's living there and he doesn't need to hear the lieutenant and Miss Corin in mattress chorus. And let's face it, I'm having fun teasing them. Olivia really wasn't in the mood in this chapter, and Tom was worried about her… awww…. Oh. And do tell Mowett to keep it in his pants or I'll tell Maddie on him! Hope you enjoyed the chapter, and hope school's going well. Cheers m'dear!

Anyana: Haha okay so this chapter wasn't as long as the last one, so I won't apologize. Hope you enjoyed it despite it's being shorter than the other one. Thanks for the support, it inspires me to spend my spare time in front of the computer writing instead of curled up in my beanbag chair in front of the TV. Hope you enjoyed! Thanks!

Angel of the Night Watchers: Haha inside jokes are the best. Stalking people is fun too. I internet stalk my friends through away messages and livejournal. I stayed well informed of their social lives while out of the country that way. Hope you enjoyed the update and thanks for reviewing m'dear!

An-CatGaelige: Haha thanks for the review m'dear! And look! You didn't have to wait two months! Aren't you proud of me? Hope you enjoyed the update.

ClaireRickman: I'm glad you've enjoyed it thus far. I aim to please! Thanks for the review. For your kind words I'll send Stephen with brownies, but be careful, knowing Stephen they're probably "special" brownies! Thanks again!

Adena27: Hahaha just let them do it already? Never! I have to torture them some more! It's fun! This chapter though they weren't quite in the mood though, so no doing it yet. Sorry. Haha your review certainly made me smile. Thanks for the review. As for Tom killing Gary… you'll have to wait and see yes? So stick with me and see if I let the "horniness be expressed fully" or if Tom kills Gary. Hope you enjoyed the emotionally sappy chapter! Thanks!

Elessar King: Hahaha yay! Eldarion and galaxy bars! You rock! Scary Gary! Whoo! Yes, pirates in August mwahahaha. And now Olivia is even MORE screwed up. But you already knew that. All my Pullingses is starting! Whoo! Please keep Bors from stalking anyone. Oh. And start thinking of a new phrase to teach him. Thanks for reviewing! And good job on getting a good grade on your paper! YAY!

Thanks for reviewing guys! See? I wasn't that mean to Tom in this chapter was I? Anyway, I love to hear what you think of this chapter! So review and I'll send you a slushie! I got snow, I got strawberry lemonade, I can make a good slushie from that! Until next time guys, happy reading and drive safe!


	8. Chapter Eight

Chapter Eight

Tom Pullings finished setting the table and glanced at the clock for the fourth time in ten minutes. Olivia had left over an hour ago to pick up her paycheck from the bar, a task that usually only took her about fifteen minutes.

He sighed, taking the chicken out of the oven and turning off the timer. Over a month had passed since the 4th of July when he had revealed his talent for cooking, and Tom had soon found that all meal preparations had fallen to him. Olivia was far too busy, running from one job to the next, and Tom was more than happy to help. They usually alternated nights to clear the table, a task that was made very simple by that marvelous dishwasher contraption. In fact the entire apartment was kept surprising neat and orderly for a place housing five people, a true tribute to naval tidiness and efficiency. They had fallen even farther into a routine, busying themselves keeping the place clean and running smoothly for Olivia, who had enough to worry about paying all the bills. However, despite her busy schedule Olivia was usually home on Thursday nights. She never worked the bar this night. Where was she?

He was worried to be sure, and very tempted to check for her car once more, but resisted that urge to avoid the critical looks from the Captain and Doctor in the front room, who thirty minutes ago when he checked had told him he was paranoid. They had not seen or had any trouble from this Gary man since July, and the police had found nothing in Olivia's room, so after a tense period of looking over her shoulder, Olivia had relaxed, however Tom was not so comfortable.

With a grumble about Olivia not calling the apartment to let him know why she was so late he went to put the food on the table. He wanted to wait for her, but had no idea when she would return, and besides the food would go cold and he was hungry.

"Gentlemen, dinner is served." He announced as he set the last of the food on the table, glancing once more at the clock.

"Miss Corin has not returned?" Stephen asked as he came in and sat at his usual seat followed by Jack and Blakeney.

Tom was just about to answer when the telephone rang. He jumped and rushed over to answer it, hoping it was Olivia. "Hello?" He answered as he had heard Olivia do so a hundred times at least.

He was correct. "Hi, Tom it's Olivia." She sounded like she was standing in a crowded room, lots of shouting and carrying on in the background.

"Where are you? Shall I hold dinner?" He asked.

"No, no don't bother. Listen, I got roped into picking up Lorrie's shift here tonight, so I won't be back until late, sorry." She sounded tired, he could tell just by the tone of her voice.

"Alright dear, pay it no mind. Do be careful though, you know I am not fond of you being out so late alone." He said, feeling awkward talking on the phone. He never liked the machine, feeling disconcerted that he could not read an expression when speaking with her.

"Yes, yes, I know. I have a favor to ask, dear." Olivia said, sounding rushed. "My Aunt caught me on my cell earlier. Turns out my Uncle is surprising her with a trip just the two of them tomorrow for a week, but forgot to find someone to watch their two daughters, so they're going to stay with us next week and are being dropped off tomorrow, can you make sure the apartment's clean please?"

She said all of this very quickly, without a pause or a breath, and so Tom only caught the main idea of it all. Something about children coming to stay with them and the apartment needing cleaning.

"Of course, dear, of course." He replied.

"Okay great. I have to go, break's over. Love you, bye." With that Olivia hung up on her end.

Tom hung the phone up, relieved to know where she was and slightly curious. Relatives of hers were coming, and this could prove interesting, to say the least. Intrigued, he went and joined the others for their meal.

* * *

The next morning Tom awoke to the sound of Olivia blasting the music she always played when she was cleaning. It was a type of music that he supposed was a developed taste for he found it strange and loud. Olivia called it rock, Tom called it noise. Blakeney however, much to the alarm of the others, had taken a shine to it, and Olivia saw nothing wrong with the young man wearing her headphones and blasting music so loud he could not hear anything else. Why not? After all, she did it all the time.

Tom groaned and rolled over on the futon, he had been up late waiting for Olivia to come home from work. When she had finally come in she was exhausted and positively reeked of alcohol. Apparently there had been quite a few spills, drunken men, and suggestions that a lady ought not repeat, and without giving him any more details she had jumped in the shower and collapsed into bed without even saying goodnight. In fact by the time he realized she was out of the bathroom she was fast asleep. The poor thing was exhausted and had not even bothered shutting her door or drying her hair like she usually did. He had watched her for a moment, in the doorway, with an amused smile on his face, before finally retiring himself to his own bed.

With a sigh Tom decided to get up and see what Olivia was up to cleaning at this hour. It was unusual for her to show her face before eleven on days she did not have to be up. Normally she would still be asleep and quite cross if she were waken for anything short of a fire or natural disaster.

For being awake at seven in the morning on one of the rare days she could have slept in Olivia was in a surprisingly good mood. She was mopping the kitchen floor, something Tom had done the night before, spinning and dancing to the music with the mop handle as her partner. It was an amusing sight to be sure, and Tom stood in the doorway watching her, trying not to laugh to remain undiscovered. Finally, the temptation was too much. He snuck up behind her careful not to make a sound, and grabbed her around the waist, surprising her.

Olivia jumped a foot at least and let out a cry in surprise, spinning around. "TOM!" She choked, whacking him playfully on the shoulder.

Tom merely laughed, "Good morning, dear." He said innocently with a smirk. "Did I alarm you?"

Olivia merely gave him her 'don't you ever do that again look' and turned back to her moping in a huff. However, Tom could tell that pouting did not quite reach her eyes. She was playing at being difficult, and he had come to know her well enough not to fall for it.

"You know, I did clean that floor yesterday." He pointed out, stopping her motions by hugging her from behind, teasing her.

"Yes but my aunt is coming and I need this place to sparkle so she won't have anything bad to tell my mother and grandmother. It was hard enough explaining you four, and I'll not let her add that I'm living in a pigsty to boot. Now shoo, Tom Pullings or I'll run away with the mailman." She jerked out of his hold, with a teasing toss of her head, continuing with her work.

"Isn't the mailman over fifty?" He asked with a laugh.

Olivia looked up, a teasing gleam in her eye. "Yes, but he has a really hot-"

"I get the point." Tom cut her off quickly, not wanting to hear the rest, holding up his hand to call a truce.

Olivia merely smirked and went back to her cleaning with surprising enthusiasm. "I have to work today, you don't mind watching the girls do you?" She asked.

Tom froze. "Watch….little girls?" He repeated slowly as the color drained from his face. He was terrified by the very idea. "Olivia, I have positively no idea what to do with little girls."

"They're just kids Tom." Olivia replied casually. "Just keep them from jumping out the windows or breaking any bones and you'll be fine."

Tom licked his lips, worried about the idea of keeping two little girls entertained for an evening. "But what if they… if they… need something… a woman issue?"

Olivia raised an eyebrow, amused at his sudden fear of little girls. "Tom, they're five and seven. Both completely potty trained and both nowhere near _that_ age. The only thing you have to worry about from them is that they tell others everything that is said around or to them." Olivia laughed to herself, "In fact you'll probably hear some interesting stories about me."

"Oh really?" Tom was interested by the prospect to say the least, but he was still uneasy at the idea of taking care of her little cousins. "I still don't know, Olivia, I have no experience with children."

"Please Tom?" Olivia turned, her eyes taking that innocent pleading look as she attached herself to his waist. "For me?" She asked.

How could he resist when she was giving him that look? What man had the strength to say no when his lady was staring at him with big pleading eyes? Tom sighed, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face and gently kissing her. "How is it you can make me agree to anything by looking at me like that?"

Olivia grinned wickedly, "Feminine charms." She answered sweetly, kissing him again. "And don't worry, the girls will have toys with them I'm sure. They're great kids, my favorite cousins, and trust me I have a lot of cousins."

"I'm looking forward to meeting them." Tom said earnestly. "And your aunt." It was true, he was rather curious about this family of hers. Olivia so rarely mentioned them and of course, Tom knew she was not close at all to her parents, so when Olivia announced her aunt would be coming by he was curious.

Olivia smiled and went back to cleaning again, "Aunt Alida is a good place to start. She's one of my only relatives who is somewhat sane."

"Oh?" Tom raised an eyebrow, moving about the kitchen to make breakfast. "Does madness run in your family?" He asked casually.

Olivia turned suddenly from her cleaning, her mouth agape, she raised an eyebrow and just gave him the "you should not have said that" look.

Tom cringed the second he realized what he just said. He had not meant it as an insult or to be offensive, in fact he had not thought at all of what he was implying by his statement, and now judging by the look he was getting he was in trouble. "I should rephrase that…"

Olivia nodded slowly, an amused smile spreading across her lips, "You think?"

Tom smiled, relieved to see she was not angry. "I'm sorry, dear, I meant to ask about the rest of your family, I never meant to imply you were insane."

Olivia laughed, "Oh really? Because I think I'm downright crazy."

"Well, then I hope you never become sane, dear, for I love you just the way you are." Tom said sweetly.

"Nice try, but you still have to watch my cousins." Olivia replied, going back to her mopping without another thought.

"Damn." Tom swore, ducking as she swung the mop at his head teasingly. "Where are the Captain and good Doctor this fine morning?" He asked, knowing that they usually objected to her choice of rock music for cleaning, rather preferring her classical and opera selections.

"Out for a walk. The minute I put in the Moody Blues they bolted." Olivia replied. "Blakeney's down by the pool. He says he's swimming but I think it's because there are some girls sunbathing down there." Olivia rolled her eyes, amused. "Boys."

"Well, can you blame us?" Tom asked with a cheeky grin.

Suddenly Olivia paused, as if she just realized something, and an enlightened expression appeared across her face. She dropped her mop and in one graceful sweep bounced across the kitchen to Tom, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Tom, do you know what I just realized?"

He blinked, surprised suddenly moment of clarity. "What?"

"We're alone in the apartment. We haven't been alone in the apartment since July." Olivia said, leaning closer, tracing his jaw delicately with her fingers. "Shall we pick up where we left off?" She asked innocently.

Tom gave her a knowing look, "Olivia, dear, I don't think now is the time for…" He sighed as she trailed kisses down his jaw, skillfully making him forget his protests, if only for a moment. "Olivia, the others may be back at any moment." He pointed out.

"So?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at him suggestively.

"And your aunt will be here with your cousins soon." He added.

"And?"

"And we really do not have time." He argued.

"We'll be fast." Olivia replied, her green eyes shining mischievously.

Tom laughed, "Olivia Corin! That is hardly proper."

"Have you ever known me to be proper?" She asked, kissing him once more.

Tom returned her kiss, holding her close, running a hand through her hair and enjoying having her so near. However there was no time to do what he was quite certain she wanted to do. Not to mention he felt the need to attempt to be proper. "Olivia, we can't. Not now." He protested, determined to be firm, and stepped away from her embrace, using all his willpower to do so.

Olivia sighed, frustrated. "Why not?"

"Because!" Suddenly Tom was at a lose for words. He stared at her a moment, he loved her and wanted to be with her, but this wasn't the time for it. She deserved their first time together to be, well, special. He wanted their lives together to be perfect, and a quick romp on the kitchen table just was not what she deserved. He sighed, but how to make her see that…

"Olivia." He took her hand, staring into her beautiful eyes. She could melt his heart with those eyes of hers. "I love you, and I want nothing more than to be with you, you surely know that, but not like this." He felt his face grow hot, and felt rather stupid stating his thoughts like this, but he continued. "I want the first time we're together to be… to be… well, special."

"Tom-" She started but he held up a hand, interrupting her.

"I want to take my time and memorize you. I want to hold you afterwards and sleep blissfully with you in my arms. I want to wake to see those beautiful green eyes of yours as a greeting." His words flowed, tumbling out his desires like poetry, and he was surprised to see tears coming to her eyes. He gently wiped them from her cheek with his thumb. "I'm sorry, love, for being so entirely selfish."

Olivia laughed aloud, "Oh Tom…" She threw her arms around him in a hug. "You're not selfish at all. That has to be the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me in my entire life. And what makes it even more amazing is that you mean every word of it." She looked up at him, her eyes shining. "This is one of those times I think you're too good for me."

"Never." Tom grinned, leaning down to kiss her again, only to be interrupted by a sharp knock at the door.

Olivia jumped, her eyes widening, "They're early!" She hissed, quickly running a hand through her hair and glancing around the kitchen wildly for anything out of place. "Do I look okay?" She asked, quickly stashing the bucket in a cabinet.

"Olivia, you always look lovely." Tom told her, watching her rush about the kitchen in a tizzy.

"Okay, don't look at me as my future husband, look at me as my biggest critic. Do I look okay?" She asked, stomping her foot in frustration as the mop fell out of the closet as she attempted to put it back in a rush.

"Yes, love, calm down." Tom said as a second and louder knock came at the door. "Do you want me to get that?" He asked.

"No, no, I should." Olivia straightened her top and subconsciously pulled up her jeans before heading to the door, and opening it with a smile.

"LIVIA!" Two little golden haired girls bounded in and tackled Olivia both jumping and grinning ear to ear.

Olivia laughed, hugging them and kneeling down to their level. "It's the midgets!" She teased ruffling hair.

"Where you been Livia? We haven't seen you in AGES!" The taller girl exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips and pouting in what appeared to be a scold.

Tom watched the scene lingering in the background, a smile playing at his lips as he watched Olivia being scolded by her young cousin.

A middle aged woman appeared in the doorway, carrying suitcases and appearing out of breath. "Thank you girls, for leaving me with all your stuff in the van." She said to the children. "And Livia, can you breath with Katalin wrapped around your neck like that?" She asked.

Olivia grinned, standing, lifting the girl attached to her neck, Katalin, with her. "I don't know. Katalin, are you trying to choke me?"

"Uh huh!" Katalin proudly declared.

Olivia's aunt chuckled and gathered up the suitcases again. Tom quickly stepped forward and collected them from her with a shy smile. "Allow me, ma'am." He volunteered.

Her aunt smiled warmly, "Thank you." She glanced at Olivia then back at him, giving him an appraising look. "You must be Tom."

"Yes, ma'am. Tom Pullings, pleased to meet you." He smiled, determined to make a good impression.

"Oh. Is this your _boyfriend_, Livia?" The older girl asked, exchanging a look with her sister, who turned to also appraise Tom, with a grin.

Katalin, the younger girl, looked from Tom to Olivia and a decided look appeared upon her face. "He's got funny hair." She declared, rather bluntly.

"Katalin!" Both Olivia and her Aunt scolded at the same time, as poor Tom's face turned a dark hue of pink.

"What? It's longer than mine!" Katalin defended herself.

"Why don't you and Maria get your bags from Tom and take them back to my room? You're going to sleep in there." Olivia said, fighting an amused chuckle at her youngest cousin's bluntness.

"Like a sleepover?" Maria exclaimed, jumping up and down. "Okay!" She grabbed her things from Tom, nearly knocking him over in her rush and dashed down the hall, her suitcase bouncing along behind her.

Katalin followed with less enthusiasm, her suitcase being nearly as big as she was it made it rather difficult for her to run, but she did manage to drag it down the hall, shouting at her sister to wait and not take the good side of the room without her say so.

"You've got your work cut out for you this week Livia." Her aunt sighed. "And Tom, I'm sorry about Katalin, she doesn't think before she speaks."

"She's young, ma'am." Tom said, offering her a smile. "I took no offense."

"Oh please, enough of this ma'am business. It's Alida, and if you marry my niece, it'll be Aunt Alida. If you don't mind my asking, how serious are you two anyway?" She raised an eyebrow, looking at Olivia for an answer.

"I told you he's living here, Aunt Alida, what does that tell you?" Olivia replied.

"Well, I never quite know dear, I mean, you have so many flings."

"Aunt Alida!" Olivia exclaimed in horror. "I haven't had any 'flings' in over a year, and besides, none of them ever lived with me!"

"Oh of course, dear, of course." Her Aunt quickly retreated off the subject. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to get home and finish packing to catch our flight. Girls! I'm leaving!"

This created a flurry of motion that Tom was quite lost in. The two girls came tearing down the hall at speeds that made him think these little girls would make excellent powder monkeys. Everyone was talking at once and hugging and saying last minute goodbyes and instructions. While watching all this he wondered to himself why Olivia did not just tell her Aunt they were getting married. It certainly would make his living there seem _slightly_ more proper, and show that they were, as her Aunt said, serious. Why didn't she share her engagement with her family? It was a mystery to him, but one that he would have to address later. Now, with two little girls running about, certainly wasn't the time.

Finally, Olivia's Aunt left, waving out the car window at her daughters who were standing at the landing looking over the parking lot. Olivia ushered them back inside and into the kitchen. Maria was talking rapidly the entire time, half of which Tom did not even quite make out what she was saying exactly, while Katalin sniffled, on the verge of tears, curling up in a chair at the kitchen table.

Tom noticed and glanced at Olivia, who seemed busy listening to Maria. With hesitation he decided he ought to find out what was troubling the younger girl, so he sat down next to her. "Katalin is it?" He asked, making sure he at least at the name right.

Katalin nodded and sniff, looking up at Tom with wide eyes, her thumb straying to her mouth. She was quite adorable, despite her tear streaked face and trembling lower lip, staring at him in surprise.

"What's the matter?" He asked. "Are you hurt?"

Katalin shook her head, "I miss Mommy!" She declared.

"Oh." Tom froze. This was the type of situation he was no good with. He'd dealt with his fair share of homesick young lads, squeakers on their first voyage to be sure, but this was an entirely different situation. This was a little _girl_. He had absolutely no idea what to do or say, so with a deep breath for confidence, he took a stab at it. "Well, you get to stay with your cousin while your Mother is gone, won't that be fun?"

Katalin shook her head again, and took her thumb out of her mouth. "I want my Mommy!" She declared loudly, bursting into violent sobs, the likes of which Tom had never heard.

Tom's eyes went wide in shock as the little girl sobbed her poor little heart out. He had no idea what he did but he was quite certain it was his fault she was so upset. "Katalin, please don't cry!" He begged, casting a desperate look at Olivia, whose conversation with Maria had paused when Katalin interrupted them with her tears.

Olivia quickly intervened, coming over and hugging her cousin, sitting down and allowing the girl to climb into her lap. "Oh Katalin, it's okay. Mommy will be back in seven days." She said, holding up seven fingers. "We'll go to the park and have so much fun before you know it," Olivia quickly counted down each finger, rocking the cry, who had stopped sobbing loudly, but was now hiccupping and sniffling pitifully. "She'll be here to pick you up."

"I still want Mommy." Katalin replied stubbornly.

"I know you do." Olivia kissed the top of her head. "But Mommy and Daddy are taking a boring big people trip, and they thought you'd have a much better time here with me. And I wanted to see my favorite cousins. Is that okay?"

Katalin nodded, slowly. "I guess so."

"Okay, great. I'm glad." Olivia kissed the girl again, smiling over her head at Tom, giving him the 'you didn't do anything' look. "Now, who wants ice cream?"

"I do! I do!" Both girls became extremely excited by the prospect of sweets before lunch and came to life again, giggling and bouncing cheerfully about the kitchen.

"Okay, why don't you two go watch TV and Tom and I will bring the ice cream in to you?" Olivia suggested, setting Katalin on her feet and standing up herself.

"Okay!" Maria grabbed her sister's arm and they both raced out of the room, plopping on the sofa and turning on the television without a single pause in the action.

Tom sighed heavily, standing also. "I told you I've no idea what to do with girls." Tom said miserably. "I made Katalin cry, I'm sorry."

"You didn't make her cry, Tom. She always does that when she gets left here, even for just a few hours. She's one of those overly attached kids who doesn't like to be left behind. Once you get her distracted your good to go." Olivia said, getting out the ice cream and bowls. "You want any?"

"But we haven't had breakfast yet." He argued.

Olivia held up the ice cream with a grin, "Breakfast." She declared.

"Oh… all right." He shrugged, much more concerned at being left with her cousins rather than what he was going to eat. "When do you have to leave again?"

"After lunch, for just a few hours to get some work done at the theatre, I somehow managed to get out of my shift at the bar tonight. I wouldn't have gone in to the box office today but we've got some group coming in to use the stage tomorrow and are horribly unprepared. I may have to help out in the shop today, so don't be surprised if I come back sneezing and covered in sawdust." Olivia said, scooping ice cream out into bowls. "I promise I'll come back as soon as I can."

"Good." Tom said, still not convinced, and not really paying attention to much of what she said, past the part about leaving after lunch for a few hours. "Are you sure-?"

"Tom." Olivia interrupted. "You'll be fine. You can lead grown men but you can't handle little girls?"

"The crew doesn't burst into tears like Katalin did, dear." Tom pointed out.

"She won't do that again." Olivia assured him, handing him a bowl of ice cream.

"But…. But what if they don't like me?" He asked, timidly, not wanting the few members of her family she was on good terms with to hate him.

"They'll like you." Olivia reassured him, handing him another bowl. "Just take them those bowls of ice cream and you'll be their new best friend." She collected her bowls and kissed his cheek, offering him a rather charming smile. "Consider this a challenge."

"A challenge?" Tom could not help but smile. She seemed to trust him to keep the girls, perhaps she was right. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad after all. "Well, when you put it that way." With a deep breath and an overdramatic motion of collecting his strength he gave Olivia a bold look. "Then onward I go." With that he turned sharply with the bowls of ice cream, followed by a very amused Olivia, into the next room where the two little girls were waiting impatiently to face what may be his doom.

* * *

A/N: Awww… Tom gets to babysit! Bum bum bum! So not much in this chapter besides we now know that Tom is cooking all the meals and cleaning while Olivia makes the money… haha gender role reversal anyone? Hey, it's the 21st century! I also introduced little kids. Who are two of my favorite characters because little kids are such fun! They lighten the mood, which is always a good thing. The next chapter will hopefully be a ton of fun (evil grin). One of the ideas that's been cooking for a long time. So stay tuned!

Also, note that while writing the majority of this chapter I was sick and possibly running a fever… so if it's a tad off that's why! Leave it to me to get sick over spring break. I was so dead to the world I didn't get half the writing and work done that I wanted. Sigh. Oh well. The good news is I'm feeling much better. So hopefully these last few days of break I can um…. write stuff that makes sense? Do I ever do that anyway?

And don't worry, I haven't forgotten Gary the stalker. He'll turn up later I promise!

The lady of the shadows: Welcome m'dear! To what appears to be my continuous torment of the one they call Pullings. I was very flattered by your review. Thanks for such kind words and taking the time to read all this stuff! I update as soon as I can, though unfortunately real life often gets in the way (stupid life), but I try to ignore it as often as possible! Hope you enjoyed the new chapter and thanks for the review!

Frannypants: Hiya m'dear! Let's see… the rose. That'll probably come up vaguely in future encounters with Gary, though it's really not that important. It's more like a calling card of sorts. I'm glad you enjoyed the first story! And I hope you enjoy this one too! Hope you liked the update and thanks for reviewing.

Adena27: Haha yes Olivia is slightly messed up. It's more fun that way. I don't know anyone Hungarian. I don't quite remember why I decided to make Olivia's mother's family Hungarian… it might have something to do with a paper I wrote on European languages for a geography class last year… I don't know, this story is a long time in the planning. I just want her family to speak a language to confuse and make the guys uncomfortable… in future chapters of course. As for Blakeney, his time is coming… eventually. Perhaps he'll get a girlfriend…. mwahaha perhaps not. Haven't decided for sure yet. We'll just have to see where the story goes eh? Thanks for reviewing and hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

et-spiritus-sancti: Haha how can you not want to hug him? He's such a puppy! And everyone loves puppies! I'm glad you agree with me that us ladies are allowed our mood swings! Tom ought to buy Olivia chocolate don't you think? Someone ought to tell him about Family Dollar having huge bags of good candy for only a dollar! Sorry this chapter took longer than expected to get out… but illness got the better of me and I ended up having to delete and rewrite half of it because I think I was really not with it when I wrote it, seriously, I didn't even understand half of it. Fevers, dehydration and writing really don't mix well! But I hope it was worth the wait and thanks for sticking with me!

ClaireRickman: Stephen hasn't come back yet… and there are some animals missing from the zoo… I'm terribly concerned… okay not really concerned but he has my mother's brownie pan and I want her to bake me something before I go back to school! Olivia is very weird. But writing normal characters isn't as much fun as messed up ones! I like angst. I'm addicted. And mental drama is fun to write. So there you have it! Most of what I write will turn out strange messed up characters… unless I'm writing something short and purely cute, which I do sometimes. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for the review! If Stephen ever gets back I'll send you cookies.

Anyana: Haha swings rock! I'll admit I still play on the swings. I'm proud of it. It's good exercise! Hope dinner turned out delicious, as I'm sure it did! As long as you don't ask me to cook… I'm hopeless in the kitchen except when it comes to chicken and dumplings and tuna fish casserole. Hope you enjoyed the update and thanks for the review!

Miss Flossy: Tom dreams about babies but is afraid of little girls. Haha, don't worry though, he'll get over it real fast I promise you. Well, I didn't tell you what Olivia's dreams were about when I divulged information from the almighty purple folder so I won't tell you now :-P Mwahahahaha. Of course, she's not telling Tom anything either… so you'll know when he does I suppose. You really nailed exactly what I wanted people to get out of this chapter on the head with the whole vulnerability but doesn't like to think she is thing. Well done. I don't know where the heck I got the idea for Aubrey's perspective on Tom's relationship with Olivia, but it just sort of happened. I'm glad I did it though! And as for Tom finally getting laid… yet again it didn't happen. But it was totally his fault! He's showing restraint! Where's this coming from? I think reading your story over my shoulder rattled him a bit TOO much! But what he said to Olivia in this chapter I think ranks way up there in the sap factor. In fact it made me laugh while writing it. I kept thinking "Oh man is this sappy! I think I may be sick!" Haha well… I'm updating so that means you have to update again! It's the rule… apparently. Or rather I just really really want you to update! But hey, if you can be patient with me I'll be patient with you. Thanks for reviewing m'dear! Hope you enjoyed the chapter and happy writing!

ArcherofDarkness and Callie: No Gary in this chapter, but don't worry, he'll show up again. This stalker disappears and then resurfaces rather than constantly harassing all at once. That way I can drag out Tom's being a worrywart twice as long! Sorry about my slowness… illness stopped my plans for writing a ton over my spring break. Stupid illness. Hope you enjoyed it regardless of the wait and thanks for reviewing!

Eldarwen999: Is Olivia going to tell Tom about her childhood? Hm… well she hasn't yet. And as she said she doesn't like to talk about it… we'll just have to wait and see won't we? Mwahaha. Poor Tom. I keep tormenting the boy. As for Gary killing Tom, yet again I'm being illusive! That's how I keep you reading mwahahaha! You'll just have to wait and see won't you? Gary is not a nice fellow once he resurfaces I will tell you that. Thanks for sticking with the story and hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Wing Pikepaw: I'm glad you liked the last chapter. The dream part was to introduce the freaky messed up side of Olivia's character that she doesn't like people to see, for obvious reasons. They'll be more of that later just to warn you, though it'll be less of a surprise when it happens again. Haha I usually don't have dreams that scare me either, though I do wake up and get an uneasy feeling to the point where I have to turn on the lights and not go back to sleep. It's very odd. Thanks for reviewing m'dear and hope you enjoyed the belayed update!

Angel of the Night Watchers: Haha I'm glad you enjoyed all the fluff! There was a bit more in this chapter for you too! I'm not Hungarian, nor do I speak it or any language other than English. My French that I had to take to the 202 level is appalling. I'm not quite sure where I got the idea for Olivia's grandmother to be Hungarian, but it's probably from my World Regions Class last semester when we were covering Europe. The class was easy so my mind wandered a lot and I got probably got a ton of ideas in there. I can't wait to write the wedding scene either. Hehe anything in particular you want to see? I have some ideas for the wedding myself but it's fun to brainstorm! As for Tom beating the crap out of Gary, Gary has to quit hiding and resurface for that to happen! He will though eventually because a stalker has too much fun potential! We'll have to see how that confrontation goes… mwahaha. Anyway m'dear thanks for the lovely review and I hoped you enjoyed the newest chapter! Cheers!

Thanks for reviewing guys! And I welcome all review, always, actually I beg for reviews! Good or bad. Even if you just say "meh" I'd love to hear from you! So please please please review? I'm still fighting my illness so reviews will cheer me up and force my sick bum out of bed to the computer to write! Until next update m'dears, happy reading!


	9. Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

"Whatcha makin?" Katalin leaned over the table curiously to get a better look at Tom's creation. They were all sitting at the table being with a clay Olivia referred to as 'playdough'.

"A ship." He answered, holding it up to show the girl.

Katalin made a face. "It don't look like a ship to me."

"It don't- I mean doesn't?" Tom raised an amused eyebrow. "I thought it did."

"No… it looks like a banana." Katalin declared.

Jack looked up from his own project with an amused look, studying Tom's 'ship'. "She's right. It does look like a banana."

"A banana with…. holes." Stephen tilted his head to a side, examining the ship, distracted from his own artistic work. "Why does your banana have holes?"

"It's not a banana!" Tom exclaimed, finding it hard not to laugh at the pure silliness of the conversation. "It is _clearly_ a ship."

"Is it a banana boat?" Maria asked, looking up from the cannon she was making to attack her sister's castle. This meant that every five minutes Maria would smash her Katalin's work resulting in tears from the younger girl, who would quickly recover and start construction again.

"No, I don't believe a banana boat would work in the ocean." Tom looked over his shoulder to holler down the hall. "Olivia! My work is being criticized!"

"That's nice!" Olivia shouted back from her room where she was getting ready for work.

"I don't know, Tom. Stephen, do bananas float?" Jack asked with a smirk.

"I have no idea." Stephen replied, putting the final touches on his masterpiece. "There!" He declared with a triumphant look.

"You finished?" Maria looked at his project, stared a moment, then looked up at Stephen. "What is it?"

"It's a sloth my dear!" Stephen answered.

"It don't look like a sloth." Katalin announced. Then after a pause she looked around the table. "What's a sloth?"

The adults laughed while the little girls looked confused. Tom chuckled, teasing Katalin. "Why Miss Katalin, I do believe you are being critical for the sake of being critical." He told her.

Katalin giggled. "You're silly, Tom."

Tom laughed, "Thank you Katalin."

"What are you making Jack?" Maria asked, looking curiously at Jack's work.

"Ice cream." He replied.

"Ice cream?" Stephen raised an eyebrow.

"Yes. Why?" Jack looked around confused at why his 'ice cream' would be so interesting.

Katalin leaned across the table to see. "Now that looks like ice cream." She declared. "Good job Jack."

Jack laughed, "Why thank you Katalin, and I must say that is a fine castle indeed."

Katalin beamed, her little face positively lighted up. Just as she was about to reply however her sister reached out and brought her fist down, smashing the poor girl's castle quick as a cat.

"CANNONBALL!" She declared proudly, grinning wickedly at her sister.

"MARIA!" Katalin screeched, her eyes going wide and her face going quite red. "LIVIA!" She howled like a wounded beast, tears streaming down her face. She bolted up and ran down the hall to her cousin, crying quite vocally without any restraint.

The men all stared at the remaining little girl who seemed completely unaffected. The girl had been being horrible to her younger sister all day, and Tom felt like he ought to say something but had no idea what to say. He did not want to be too harsh on the girl, but he did not want to be perceived as too soft.

However he did not have the opportunity, Olivia soon stormed down the hall, pulling back her hair as she walked with her brush held in her mouth until she freed up a hand. As soon as she did she held the brush fast, waving it rather like a sword for emphasis. "Maria, put the playdough away, right now." She ordered.

"But Livia!" Maria protested. "We were playing!"

"Maria, you were being rotten and you know it. This is the fourth time I've had to say something to you and I don't want to hear it. You can put it away now, apologize to your sister, and play nicely, or you can go to my room and spend the rest of the day in timeout. Your choice." She crossed her arm, giving the girl a harsh look that made Tom subconsciously sit up a little straighter. He had never heard her use such a commanding tone, nor look so stern, and he realized for the first time that Olivia could be rather intimidating if she wanted to be, more so than he thought possible in a woman. Quite frankly it made him rather nervous, as if he had done something wrong and was being reprimanded.

The effect was obviously not lost on Maria either, for she hung her head and muttered her apologies to Katalin, who somehow managed to smirk and sniffle at the same time. She put the playdough in its container, sulking, and gave her cousin a dark look. "Well **_now_** what am I supposed to do?"

"I don't know, watch a movie, play a game, read a book, memorize the periodic table, make a sandwich. Whatever you want as long as it's legal and your mother would approve." Olivia went into the hall closet, searching for something. "Just don't destroy my apartment." She added, finding what she wanted and stuffed it in her bag. "Okay, I have to get to work for a bit."

"Awwww. Why?" Katalin pouted, clinging to Olivia's leg.

"It's just for a few hours Katalin. I'll be back before you even miss me." She assured the girl, prying her off her leg. "Don't give Tom, Jack, and Stephen a hard time girls. They're not used to such scheming minds in such cute faces." She teased the girls, ruffling their hair. "And you gentlemen have my permission to lock them in my room if they're acting up. If you have any problems call me. The number is on the fridge."

"Certainly." Tom looked up and smiled at her. He was becoming more comfortable with her cousins, but he was still slightly nervous at being left with them.

"And someone tell Blakeney to get off my computer in the next hour or so. He's really addicted to minesweeper and keeps getting closer and closer to the screen. Any minute now he'll be sitting on my keyboard." She added digging through her bag.

"Olivia, your keys are on the table, dear." Tom pointed out, amused, knowing exactly what she was looking for.

She looked up, spotting them there. "Oh." She snatched them up, quickly closing her bag again. "Okay, I'm late. Got to run." She quickly hugged her cousins, telling them again to behave, distractedly kissed Tom on the cheek, and in a whirlwind of motion, disappeared out the door muttering to herself about something or another.

As soon as she was gone a silence fell on the group seated at the table. The younger girl, Katalin, still sniffling, timidly approached Tom and tugged on his arm for attention. Tom could not help but smile, Olivia's cousins were quite possibly the most adorable little girls he had ever seen, and Katalin looked like what Tom could imagine Olivia had looked like as a child. He wondered vaguely if any daughters he and Olivia may have in the future would look like Katalin.

The little girl was impatient with Tom's distracted musing, and tugged again with more insistence. He looked down, eyebrow raised in amusement. "Yes Katalin?"

"Can I play dress-up with Livia's old costumes? She lets me do it all the time, as long as I ask first and don't get in her real clothes and stuff." She asked sweetly, unable to keep still and shifting on her toes, as if dancing in one place.

Tom hesitated, unsure if Olivia would really approve of her cousin getting into her things. However, he did recall she had moved a stack of clothes into the closet of the room he shared with Blakeney. Old costumes that were cleaned out of the theatre where she worked, he supposed that was what Katalin was referring to. "You're sure Olivia allows you to play with her costumes?" He asked, just to be sure.

Maria piped up in support of her sister, "Livia does let us play with them. She says she brings them home because no one wants them anymore cause they're too old." She then made a face, "But I don't want to play dress up. All Livia has is a bunch of old girly skirts that are too big for us anyway."

Katalin rolled her eyes, "Well what else are we gonna do, Maria?"

"Watch my movie!" Maria replied, jumping up and running to Olivia's room, reappearing with an item and handing it to the nearest adult, who happened to be Jack.

He looked at the box with an amused expression, "Muppets Treasure Island." He read, raising an eyebrow. "Interesting."

Katalin groaned, "Not that movie again! I don't wanna watch it!"

"And I don't wanna play dress-up!"

"It's my turn to pick the game!"

"Is not!"

"Is so!"

"Is not!"

"Is so!"

"Not!"

"So!"

"Not!"

"So!"

Stephen stood up and cleared his throat, quite tired of listening to the girls scream at one another. "Perhaps a compromise?"

They both looked at him mid-argument. "What's compromise mean?" Katalin asked curiously.

"It means bargain stupid." Maria snapped at her little sister.

"Don't call me stupid! Dummy!" Katalin glared at her.

"Fine, poop-poo-head!" Maria shot back.

"All right girls that's enough." Tom said, echoing what he had heard Olivia say to break up their arguments at least ten times already. "Maria, you may watch a movie and Katalin you may play."

"But it's no fun playing dress-up alone." Katalin pouted, sticking her lower lip out so she looked as pathetic as possible. "Will you play with me Tom? Please?"

"And Jack and Stephen can watch the movie with me!" Maria declared, grabbing Jack's hand and tugging it.

"Well, it appears its all been decided." Stephen said, amused at Maria trying to pull the large form of Jack Aubrey up out of his chair and failing miserably.

Katalin jumped and tugged at Tom's arm until he finally got up out of his chair. "Come on Tom!" She shouted excitedly.

Tom reluctantly followed, casting an evil glare at Stephen, hoping he could get out of wearing the costumes himself, quite certain there would be nothing in that closet that would allow him to keep his pride.

As soon as they were gone, Jack suddenly jumped up from his chair, sending poor little Maria crashing to the floor. Her dark eyes widened in surprise and she stared at Jack a moment, a grin slowly breaking out on her face. "That was a GOOD one!" She declared, jumping back up to his feet.

Jack could not help but laugh at the little girl so quick to bounce back and see a joke. He had never spent much time with his daughters, and what he saw of them was nothing like these two. His daughters had been trained by their mother to be polite and when among the adults, speak only when spoken too, like good little children. However, he knew when alone they would slip into the lower deck language they had learned from growing up in a house staffed by old sailors, and was quite used to hearing them shout at one another from a distance, it was just that these little cousins of Miss Corin's acted loudly and openly all the time. It was rather unusual, yet refreshing to him.

"Let's go! Let's go!" Maria grabbed both his hand and Stephen's and tugged them both to the sofa, determined to delay watching her movie not a moment longer.

* * *

"What about this one?" Katalin held up a glittery beaded creation. It looked rather like a harem girl's costume, and Tom raised an eyebrow, wondering what exactly Olivia had used that for.

He cleared his throat, sitting on the futon surrounded by a pile of different dresses, hats, shoes, and gloves, as well as a variety of things Katalin had pulled out of the closet to get to the costumes she wanted. They had managed to make quite the mess, and Tom was sure that if Olivia came home before they cleaned it all up she may very well kill him.

Katalin was still examining the beaded creation, admiring its silky blue fabric. "Would a princess wear this?" She asked.

"Hm…" Tom was amused by the question, and leaned forward to examine the costume in question more closely. A simply top in smooth flawless blue fabric with beaded straps and a skirt that was slit up the side in the same blue, beaded and sparkling all around. _"What **does** she do on that stage?"_ He wondered, noting that in this her midriff and back would be quite exposed, not that she ever seemed to care about modesty. "Well, Katalin, what sort of princess are you?"

"The rich kind." She replied. "With lots of ponies and castles, and is in distrust!" She said excitedly, jumping up on the futon.

Tom paused, "Distrust?" Katalin had a way of getting her words confused it seemed, and he thought for a moment coming up with the word she really wanted. "You mean distress?"

"Yeah!" Katalin hopped down and dove back into the costume pile with enthusiasm. "Distress!"

"Well, in that case…" He dug through the pile with her. "What about this one?" He held up a long dress of burgundy velvet with a laced up front and long sleeves which widened at the ends.

"Oooh!" Katalin snatched the dress from Tom and pulled it over her head. He couldn't help but laugh, it was entirely too large, making her look even smaller. The sleeves dragged on the floor and she looked like she could disappear entirely. "Well?" She asked, twirling, which just caused the dress to twist on the floor, making her fall over in a pile herself.

Tom grinned, "Lovely, your highness." He said, giving her a small bow.

Katalin beamed, jumping up and pushing up the sleeves, which really had no effect whatsoever. "Now it's your turn!" She declared.

Tom froze, with an alarmed expression. "Katalin, I don't believe Olivia has anything for me to wear." He said. "You wouldn't make me wear a dress would you?"

Katalin looked disappointed, "Not if you don't want to." She said after a moment of giving him the most pathetic look she could muster.

Tom sighed, this was why he was worried about watching little girls. How could anyone tell someone that small with that cute a face no? He looked into the pile of dresses, then back at Katalin. "I think they may all be too small."

Katalin seemed to accept this. "That's true. You're way bigger than Livia." She went back into the pile, this time looking for shoes. "She don't date guys who are smaller than her. She says it's policy."

"Does she now?" Tom raised an amused eyebrow. "What else does Olivia say?"

Katalin shrugged, "Maria's the one to ask. She stopped dating all those weird guys when I was little."

"When you were little?" Tom teased, "And you're not little now?"

Katalin glared at him, insulted. "I'm not little! I'm FIVE! I was FOUR then. THREE even."

"Oh, of course you're not little at all." Tom covered his apparent insult.

"Anyway, Livia lived with us sometimes when I was little. Summers mostly. To help Mommy and Daddy with us. And she used to bring **_boys_** home." Katalin giggled, flopping on the futon.

"Did she indeed?" Tom replied vaguely. Part of him was curious about these apparent former beaus. The other part did not really want to know.

"Uh huh." Katalin rolled over, sitting up, her eyes wide and sparkling with amusement. "This one time, Maria and I snuck downstairs when we was supposed to be asleep, and we caught her and her boyfriend **_wrestling_** on the sofa!"

Tom froze, this was now getting to the point where he probably should not ask anymore questions, but he did not know how to reply, so he hoped this was in the end of her story. "Oh…"

Katalin examined the sleeve of her dress casually. "She wasn't doing so good at it either. He was **_totally_** winning, but she didn't look like she was trying to get away."

Tom's eyes went wide, now **_that_** was more than he wanted to know. Best change the subject before he found out anymore about Olivia's 'wrestling' on the sofa. "What about these shoes Katalin?" He blindly grabbed the first pair he found, desperate to get the little girl off the subject.

"Oh!" Katalin took them and put them on her feet, of course they were twice as big as her feet. "These are perfect! How do I look?" She asked, striking a pose.

Tom laughed, she looked ridiculous to be honest, but her little round face and bright eyes were just adorable. He was enjoying watching her, anticipating a sweet little girl of his own someday. "You look lovely, Princess Katalin." He told her.

She beamed, "I know what else we need!" She dashed off to Olivia's room, well, attempted to dash, but her dress and shoes made it impossible, so instead she stumbled along, reappearing with a bright pink box with hearts and other decorations covering it. She opened the box and pulled out a little bottle with bright pink paint inside. "Nail polish!" She declared.

"Nail polish?" Tom repeated, raising an eyebrow. He did not like the look of inspiration on the girl's face.

"Can I paint your nails Tom?" She asked, climbing up on the futon and wrapping her arms around his neck in a big hug. "Please?"

Tom hesitated, reluctant to have his nails tinted a bright, violent shade of pink, "I don't know, Katalin."

"Puleeaaassse?" She looked at him, lower lip out in a pure pout, trembling slightly, with the biggest puppy-dog eyes imaginable. "Please can I paint your nails? I promise I'll do a good job! Puleeaasse?"

He sighed, there was no way he could resist that look. He supposed there was no harm in letting her paint his nails, and she looked so pitiful. "All right, Katalin."

"Yay!" She jumped up, giving him another hug and squirming out of her "princess" dress. "I'll put it back on later. I can't paint your nails with those sleeves. They're too big. We'll play beauty shop!"

"Beauty shop?" Tom wondered just what he got himself into.

"Yeah!" Katalin scampered off, returning with paper towels and a bag of make-up that Tom recognized as Olivia's.

"Um… Katalin…" He began to protest but the girl was too excited to hear him. She was too busy running about the room setting everything up just so, and Tom gave up, not having the heart to stop her.

Once everything was satisfactory she grabbed Tom's hand. "Now, sit down right here." She directed him to a seat on the floor. "And I'll fix you right up! You're going to look so pretty!" She declared, grabbing various bottles.

Tom sighed, and attempted a brave smile. "Wonderful." He managed, watching as Katalin took his hand and put the first streak of bright pink on his fingernail, wondering just what she had in mind. "Just wonderful."

* * *

Meanwhile, Jack and Stephen were immersed in the world of seafaring creatures called muppets with Maria. Jack was quite amused by the whole movie. Its whole plot was so ridiculous that even if the ship weren't crewed by strange looking puppet creatures it would still be good fun. During the scene where the first mate, a strange blue eagle fellow who was overly obsessed with safety, called role he almost fell out of his chair laughing, particularly when "Big Fat Bug-Face Baby-Eating O'Brien" was called and turned out to be a woman. The apartment was filled with his loud laughter as he made amusing observations to Stephen, who seemed more confused than amused, for he was trying to identify all the species of animal puppets he was seeing, and was getting particularly annoyed that they kept called the creature Gonzo a "whatever" rather than give its species.

"I say, Maria, is the Captain French?" Jack suddenly ask, feeling particularly witty at the moment.

"No, I don't think so, he don't talk French or have one of those funny accents. Why?" She asked, looking up from the movie briefly.

"Because he's a frog." Jack answered, laughing at his own joke and slapping Stephen on the back quite heavily, for which he received a particularly dark glare from the touchy naturalist.

Maria did not understand the joke, but thought nothing of it and turned back to her movie. "Ooh! The Professional Pirate song!"

"The what?" Jack raised an eyebrow as Maria grew more excited and scooted closer to the television.

"The Professional Pirate song!" She repeated. "You'll see."

The Professional Pirate song turned out to be a rather amusing song sung to glorify piracy to young Jim, the main character who happened to be one of the few non-puppet characters in the movie. By the end of it Jack was positively howling with laughter while Stephen wondered about his friend's sanity. Even Blakeney, who had joined the halfway through the movie after finally finishing playing minesweeper on the computer, raised an amused eyebrow at the Captain's quite vocal amusement. He had to admit the silliness of this movie was rather entertaining, and the fact that the little girl bouncing on the floor seemed to know all the words by heart made it even more amusing. The only one who seemed to be stuck on the impracticality of it all was Stephen, and as the movie continued he persisted in making comments to that effect, most of which were shot down by little Maria.

As the lady pig and the frog captain were hanging over a cliff professing their love for one another and singing a song while the pirates celebrated finding their treasure Stephen made a sort of snorting noise of distaste. "A frog and a pig could not get married." He declared, though Jack and Blakeney had both long stopped listening to his complaints about the unrealistic animals.

Maria turned around to face Stephen with all the sass a seven-year-old girl could muster. "They're **_muppets_**. They're not real." She rolled her eyes and turned back to the movie. "**DUH.**"

Stephen raised an eyebrow, that was very rude, had she been his daughter he would likely have tanned her hide, but she was not his daughter and he opened and closed his mouth trying to come up with a proper response.

Jack however found the naturalist doctor being bluntly told the facts by a little girl hilarious, and he broke into a new fit of laughter, receiving quite the glare from his friend for it. "Oh come Stephen, it's just a bit of fun."

"Indeed." Stephen rose from the sofa in a indignant huff. "Too much fun for my tastes. I believe I shall take a walk." He declared, having had quite enough of this and still slightly pouting over Jack's laughing at him. He then turned and headed out the door, finding the insects and birds in the field behind the buildings quite more interesting than the movie and getting a headache from Jack's howling.

Maria turned again, looking slightly guilty. "Is he mad at me?" She asked.

Jack shrugged slightly, amused by this strange little girl. "I am sure he is fine. This sort of movie ain't his type."

"Ain't's not a word." Maria told him, hopping up on the sofa to sit next to Jack.

"Is it not?" He smiled kindly. "Well then I shall have to remember that, won't I?" He was starting to like this little girl a great deal. She was a strange little creature to be sure, but spirited and amusing.

They sat watching the movie until it ended with the pirates stopped, the ship retaken and sailing off to a happy ending, and the rats swimming to retrieve the treasure from the bottom of the ocean. Maria hopped up happily, "Isn't that the best movie ever?"

Jack laughed, "It was very good indeed, Maria." He told her.

She stood for a moment, hesitating. "Now what?"

"Why don't you go see what Tom and your sister are up to?" Jack suggested, watching as Blakeney took the opportunity to seize control of the remote and change the channel on the television. It was a rare occasion indeed when the lad could get control away from the Captain and Doctor, and even Mr. Pullings had more say in what they watched than he did, and the cooking channel Mr. Pullings always choose made him quite hungry.

Maria nodded, "Okay!" She quickly scampered off. "Maybe they'll play pirates with me!" She called as she ran down the hall.

Blakeney selected his channel and went back to his chair, pausing to raise an eyebrow at the little girl's shouting. "Pirates sir?" He asked. "What a strange little girl."

Jack laughed, "Indeed Mr. Blakeney." He looked at what was on the television. "Now, what's all this?"

"Something called "Star Trek" sir. It's about a ship that goes in space and explores new worlds. Quite strange." He replied, watching as the ship flew by the screen.

Jack blinked in wonder, of all the strange new technology. "Indeed. I shall have to remember to ask Miss Corin how much truth there is to this program." He said, watching interested as the show began and he settled in to a good adventure story.

* * *

A/N: Took me long enough to update eh? I apologize, blame it on my professors and my creation and planning of the history club's Spring Weekend booth, and everyone hope this all goes well Saturday or I'm going to look really really stupid. Too much work and too little time. Actually I should be working right now but I realized this time is normally my naptime so I'm sacrificing my nap to bring you an update. Haha so anyway enough excuses….

Okay so this wasn't the chapter I originally had planned for right here. But I couldn't resist the urge to make Tom play dress-up. I've been through that enough myself so now it's Tom's turn to suffer. Mwahahahaha. Adventures in babysitting! Yay! The next chapter shall be more adventures in babysitting! Yay! Haha so I hope you all like funny little kids…. If not… um… well… tune out for the next chapter or two?

Muppets Treasure Island is in fact one of the best movies ever made, and I highly recommend it to anyone, any age, at all times. Seriously, it's great fun.

Sakai213: Wow. Your review goes in the top 10 nicest things people have ever told me. Haha I love kids, and I spent a fair amount of time with kids (especially preschool aged ones since my mom is the director of a preschool and recruits me to work everytime I'm home), but I don't have kids myself and I worry about my children characters being somewhat believable. These two are based off of two different little girls I used to babysit back in high school and a few moments I probably stole from working at preschool (haha the ain't's not a word thing is actually from a preschooler who couldn't pick a circle out of a shapes pile but sure knew his grammar!) Anyway m'dear thank you for your kind words. They are very much appreciated. Hope you enjoyed the update and thanks again for the review.

Calliope-Elven-Agent: Haha don't worry about not reviewing a chapter. You have permission since you moved to AZ and were Internet deprived. Tom is indeed a sweetheart. Why don't they make real ones like him? Haha you can really tell this is totally fiction by how sweet Tom is. As for the supernatural thriller idea, that really made me laugh…. well…. the actor who plays Pullings in the movie WAS in the latest Exorcist movie right? Haha that really amused me too. I went to see that movie and was confused… Tom Pullings was a priest? Yes, I know it's an actor but to me he's still Tom Pullings and he was a priest. I kept laughing at random things. Of course, I would have done that anyway. But no, it's not a supernatural thriller. Olivia is not possessed by the devil. I promise. If you want to hear Hungarian I believe you can hear it in the movie Chicago. There's a Hungarian prisoner lady and during the song "He had it coming" she tells her story in Hungarian. Thanks for the review m'dear and I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long!

ClaireRickman: Haha don't hurt Stephen in that cupboard! And make sure he gets plenty of veggies and citrus! I'm glad I'm warming you up to Tom. Wow I feel like I've accomplished something! Poor Stephen got his feelings hurt in this chapter so he's gone to pout. Maybe he'll come crying to you? Hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reviewing m'dear!

Proudmaxfan: Sorry I didn't update sooner. In honor of all the people who were waiting for this chapter and were annoyed at my slowness I shall buy one of the piñata heads I made for history club this weekend, draw my own face on it, and bust it, and mail the candy to you wonderful reviewers. I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and hope you liked this one too! Thanks for reviewing!

Angel of the Night Watchers: Haha you read my mind with the dress-up thing didn't you? Poor Tom. Katalin's really playing him like a banjo. Tom is funny when he blushes I agree. He's so cute. I've said it once, I'll say it again, he is a PUPPY! He's also a gentleman and that's driving poor Olivia crazy. The wedding is a long time off though… will they even get that far? Bum bum bum! You'll just have to wait and see! As always thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed Tom's torment!

Eldarwen999: Haha Tom does need to relax. They're just little girls for goodness sake! What could possible happen? Mwahaha. Too many funny possibilities to even fathom. Hope you enjoyed the update and thanks for reviewing m'dear!

Norma Jean the Dancing Machine: You have many questions. Let's see…. Olivia's past being revealed? Hm… maybe eventually she'll tell him parts of it, but she's sort of secretive that way. He'll have to work very hard to pull it out of her. Maybe if he was smart enough to get her chocolate…. Haha wait… that only works on me. Tom did propose in the first story and she accepted. They're just holding off on the wedding for reasons stated in a previous chapter… and other issues that may be revealed later… Tom SHOULD get a cooking show! That'd be funny as all! Chef Pullings.. hehe. He should go on Iron Chef. Is that show even still on? I used to love that show. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter and it was worth the wait! Thanks for reviewing and sticking with me here!

ArcherofDarkness and Callie: Haha I was sick over break. It was tragic. But I got to spend lots of quality time in my nice comfy bed back home that I don't ever get to sleep in. That was nice. You don't like little kids? How sad! They're funny. Haha even when not falling down…. Gary will get his time later, and no, he's not the snail off of Spongebob. Not really watching that show ever I didn't eve remember Gary the Snail. My old roommate would be crushed that she had no impact on me in that regard. Hope you enjoyed the chapter despite the little kids and thanks for reviewing!

Wing Pikepaw: Haha if that wait killed you this wait certainly did it. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Haha yes babysitting is a challenge for poor Tom, but at least the others are there to share in the insanity. Haha Blakeney's turning into a typical teenage boy checking out the girls at the pool. Poor guy. Hey! He can tred water with one arm! And probably swim with one arm… all be it not well but it's possible I'm sure! Hope you enjoyed the babysitting and thanks for the review!

Anyana: Haha barbies. He hasn't been subjected to that yet, but there's still time. These two will likely appear in later chapters too because I love them to death. They're so much fun to write. Poor Tom. Ice cream is the best trick ever! Except when you're babysitting a kid that doesn't like ice cream… that's a problem. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and thanks for reviewing!

The Lady of the Shadows: I got Jack and Stephen in there don't worry! They have to experience babysitting too! Don't feel too bad about scary reviews. I've gotten my share of those in my lifetime too. You can't make everyone happy, just write what you want as long as it makes you happy. Haha okay that sounded like an afterschool special. But I'm very glad you're enjoying reading this. It's really strange and completely unrealistic but I enjoy writing it and I'm glad people are having fun reading it too! Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long and thanks so much for the lovely review!

Miss Flossy: Sigh. I messed up the link. I feel bad now. Unless you update your story again soon haha. Haha Tom's speech was extremely corny. And I agree, a nice guy like Pullings is pure fiction! Ooh can you tell my last blind date didn't go too well? Anyway, poor Tom is completely out of his element here. Haha he can board an enemy ship but he can't tell a little girl not to put nail polish on him. Well, Blakeney's discovered rock music and now he's found Star Trek. Haha he'll be a Trekkie! Whoo! Thanks for the review and I promise I'll email you as soon as I have a chance. Haha I figured between an email and an update you'd probably prefer the update… or at least other people may appreciate the update some too! Hope you enjoyed Tom's adventures in babysitting!

Wow you guys! 99 reviews already? I'm touched and overwhelmed! I love hearing from you all so keep them coming and I'll send the Surprise, filled with my stupid little piñatas from history club, for you to have a smashing party, and you can eat all the candy and have fun with the gentleman of your choice. Just don't hurt them as I don't own them and will get in trouble if I return them damaged. Until next time m'dears, happy reading!


	10. Chapter Ten

Warning! This chapter is super-long! And insane! So if you have to pee, pee now! Don't say I didn't warn you!

Chapter Ten

"Katalin, this will wash off yes?" Tom asked worriedly as Katalin swiped more bright blue powder called eye shadow on his face.

"Yep. I used to do this to Livia all the time." She replied. "Till she got a rash on her face and now I'm not allowed to play beauty shop with her no more." Katalin added as an after thought.

Tom raised an eyebrow and looked at the little girl unenthusiastically. "Now you tell me?"

Katalin, however, did not seem to notice his reserve, "Can I do your hair?"

"Do my hair?" Tom sighed, well he already had bright pink fingernails, blue eyelids, red lips, and powder on his cheeks, and sparkles, well everywhere, there was not much else she could do. "Very well. Just make sure whatever you do is not permanent."

"I won't!" Katalin scurried off and got a bag of bright ties and plastic pins shaped like flowers. "Besides, if I did anything mean to you Livia would be mad at me and tell Mommy." She began to brush his hair, humming to herself. She then grinned mischievously. "You know what?"

"What?" Tom replied, distracted by her pulling his head back.

"Livia must really like you. I heard Mommy tell Daddy that she said she did. And Mommy wants us to tell her all about you 'cause Livia makes bad life choices." Katalin flipped his hair over his face, speaking casually as she revealed her mother's plans.

"Does she now?" Tom asked interestedly. "What do you mean?"

"Don't know." Katalin shrugged. "That's just what Mommy says. She helps people with problems. That's what she does. Daddy too. Though Daddy helps kids and Mommy works with grown-ups. They're psybologists."

"Psybologist?" Tom raised an eyebrow, having never heard the like. He wondered if she had the word right for it sounded unusually silly and he chuckled.

"Uh huh." She cheerfully began piling half of his hair on the very top of his head. "Mommy makes more money than Daddy, but Daddy likes working with kids. He works with kids who get sent to live with other people because their mommies and daddies are extra mean to them and do bad things. Kind of like Livia when she was little, but probably way worse." She said all this so casually Tom was sure she did not understand the gravity of what was being implied.

Tom froze, now there was something new he didn't know before. He wondered what Katalin meant and his brow furrowed as he pondered this new information. "What was that about Olivia, Katalin?" He asked, wondering how much information he could get out of this chattering little girl.

Katalin shrugged her shoulders slightly, biting her lip and concentrating on his hair. "Don't know. Mommy and Daddy won't tell us. But Livia had to live with strangers till Mommy got her when she was little. She lived with Mommy when she was my age and Mommy was going to psybology school. I seen pictures. She didn't look very happy, but Mommy let her have a kitty and she won't let me and Maria get one! That's not fair is it?" Katalin tightened a pigtail on the top of Tom's head.

Tom decided it was best not to answer that question, and wanted to know what else Katalin knew about Olivia. "Why didn't she live with her parents, Katalin? Do you know?" He asked.

"It was only for like… two years, then Livia went back to her Mommy's." Katalin shrugged again. "Mommy tells us she was just helping Aunt Ilona out. But Maria and me like to play detectives and listen in on Mommy and Daddy and we've heard them talk about an incident and Livia and how she still doesn't sleep so good sometimes." She looked at him very seriously coming around in front of him and sitting in the floor. "You got to keep this quiet though or Maria and me will get in big trouble, okay?"

"All right Katalin, my lips are sealed." Tom assured the girl. "They're also bright red." He teased, referring to the lipstick.

Katalin giggled and went back to his hair. "Maria thinks its because Livia's Daddy left when she was little. That must have made her sad, because she's sad in all those pictures Mommy has from when she was in school. I think it was mean of Livia's daddy to leave her and Danny don't you?"

"Yes…" Tom frowned slightly.Everyday it seemed Olivia became more distant and mysterious rather than closer and more familiar. Oh sure he was learning more about her daily habits, but her past became more of a mystery at every turn. He wondered if she would ever let him in on this great secret she guarded so closely. Would it always be like this? Would Olivia always keep him out no matter how hard he tried to gain her trust?

"There! Done!" He was pulled from his thoughts by Katalin's declaration. She handed him a small mirror, giggling like mad.

Tom glanced at his reflection in horror. He looked utterly ridiculous, hair pulled into pigtails at the top of his head filled with plastic pink barrettes, and his face coated in make-up and glitter. His appearance caused him to blush in embarrassment, making him look even worse. "Oh… my… I look… shiny…"

Tom's flustered words only made Katalin laugh more and she hopped into his lap. "You're the most fun of all Livia's boyfriends." She declared.

"Am I now?" Tom could not help but laugh. "Because I let you put heaven knows what on my face?"

Katalin nodded, grinning. "And you talk funny."

"I talk funny?" He raised an amused eyebrow. "I think you, Miss Katalin, are the one that talks funny."

"I do not!" She protested.

"Hey! GUYS!" Suddenly Maria burst in. The older cousin took one look at Tom and burst into hysterical laughter, flopping onto the futon. "You let her play beauty shop?" She exclaimed. "That was stupid!"

"Was not!" Katalin protested, pouting at her sister.

"Don't be a baby Katalin." Maria rolled her eyes and went to the closet, digging within in search of something. "Let's play pirates!"

"No!" Katalin whined. "I don't wanna be a pirate! I'm a **_princess_**!" Katalin hopped up and went to collect her "princess" dress, pulling it on over her clothes once more, waving the sleeves around like wings.

"Don't be stupid. You can't be a princess." Maria told her still digging. "Hey! Look what I found!" Maria pulled out Jack's hat, which had been stored in that particular closet along with the rest of their uniforms and the Doctor's clothing. "Whoa cool! A pirate hat!"

Tom bit his lip, trying not to laugh as Maria put the Captain's hat on her much smaller head. It flopped over her eyes slightly, and she pushed it back, tucking her hair behind her ears excitedly.

"I'm still a princess." Katalin declared, crossing her arms and looking stubborn.

"You can't be a princess!" Maria glared at her sister. "You're messing up the game!"

Katalin pouted, "Tom! SHE WON'T LET ME BE A PRINCESS!" She cried out, near tears.

Maria rolled her eyes unaffected by her sister's tears. "What's a **_princess_** doing on a **_pirate_** ship stupid?" She asked her, poking her arm.

"Perhaps she was captured." Tom intervened before a fight broke out between the two sisters.

Maria raised an interested eyebrow, "Captured?" She asked curiously.

"Captured by the pirates… for ransom… from her father the King." Tom said slowly, making up a fantastical storyline as he went along. A far toned down version of pirate tales for the little girls.

Maria considered this idea with caution. "Okay… I guess. But I was going to bury some treasure." Her eyes suddenly lit up with an idea. "Can I bury **_her_** instead?"

Tom paused, stalling for time. "You could…"

"Hey!" Katalin protested, glaring daggers at Tom.

"Or…" He continued, ignoring the tug Katalin was giving his arm. "You could bury stolen money from the King and keep the Princess alive for ransom."

"Okay… I guess." Maria regarded Tom with interest. "You know a lot about this stuff." She observed.

"Yes…" Tom looked at the girl, seeing that she was expecting more of an explanation. "I read many books on pirates as a boy." He improvised. It was not completely a lie, when he was a lad he had made up many games about fighting pirates before he was old enough to go to sea.

"Oh okay. Wanna play too?" Maria offered.

"You can rescue me!" Katalin grabbed his hand and swung it back and forth.

"No stink breath! He'll be a pirate too!" Maria rolled her eyes at her sister.

The other girl pouted, looking as pitiful as possible. "But every time we play this you always end up being mean to me and I don't never get to have any fun. Someone's **_gotta _**rescue me this time Maria."

Maria rolled her eyes, shoving her sister slightly. "Who would **_want_** to rescue **_YOU_**?" She said disdainfully.

Katalin's eyes filled with tears and she opened and closed her mouth, her little face turning red as lower lip trembled. "But that's not…. That's no…. **_NO FAIR_**!" She shrieked, lunging at her sister.

Tom watched the tumbling ball of little girls in shock for a moment having absolutely no idea what to do. They were pulling hair and yowling like fighting cats and he had no idea how to stop it. He could not shout at them as he would if they were lads because they were little girls and they might becoming overly frightened and he did not want to explain to Olivia why her cousins were trembling in the corner. He also did not want to explain to her why her cousins were covered in bruises and missed chunks of hair, and so he did the only thing he could think of. He reached down and pried Katalin off her sister, still swinging and kicking as he lifted her up in an attempt to get her away from her sister.

"LET ME AT HER!" Maria jumped up and rushed at Tom with the intentions of getting to her sister.

Tom tucked the squirming Katalin under one arm and with the other warded off Maria by putting a hand on her forehead to keep her at arms length. Oddly enough the girl continued to attempted to swing at her sister creating a rather comical scene.

Finally he had enough, and in the sternest voice, the one reserved for the crew when they were drunk and rowdy, he barked at them, "GIRLS! THAT IS ENOUGH!"

They both froze, Katalin going limp in his arm and Maria stopping her forward charge and staring at him. Katalin sniffled a little, silent and still, while Maria simply stared at him in shock.

He sighed, he had not meant to yell at them so but they had pushed him to his last nerve. He never imagined little girls to be quite this much of a handful, and began to wonder what time Olivia was returning. "I am sorry, Katalin, Maria, but you should not fight so. Surely you can settle this in a civilized manner?"

Maria shrugged, "I guess so."

Katalin squirmed out of his arms and down to the floor, he was realized to see a little smile returning to her face. "You yell louder than even Livia!" She stated.

Tom chuckled, suddenly remember the way Olivia once lit into the Captain back on the ship when he accused her of being a spy. "Yes, your cousin can be quite loud can't she?" He said fondly.

Katalin nodded, "Please will you rescue me from Maria, Tom? Please?"

"That's not fair. I'll lose if we play it THAT way." Maria pouted, crossing her arms in protest.

"Why is that?" Tom raised an eyebrow.

"DUH! You're way bigger than me." Maria rolled her eyes as if it were the most obvious thing on earth and plopping down on the floor.

"Well…" Tom thought a moment, desperate to remedy the problem. "Why don't you see if Jack will come be a pirate with you? Then you can both fight me."

Maria's face seemed to light up. "That's a GREAT idea! Because he's bigger than YOU!" She then jumped and ran off to find the unsuspecting Jack Aubrey. "JAAAAACCCKKK!"

Tom cringed, "Perhaps I shouldn't have said that." He muttered to himself.

Katalin eyed him warily. "We're going to lose aren't we?"

He turned and looked at the little girl, "Of course not Princess Katalin. Though I really ought to wash my face first."

"Why?" Katalin stared at him, looking slightly hurt at the idea he wanted to remove her handy work.

"Well… because… well…" He stuttered a moment, wanting to think of a way to say he looked ridiculous without hurting the girl's feelings. "Well, I don't look very intimidating now do I? We want to scare off the pirates Maria and Jack."

Katalin pondered on this for a while and then grinned widely. "I know what!"

"What?" Tom asked, dreading the answer.

"War paint!" The little girl then took off, returning with a tube of lipstick that he knew belonged to Olivia, though he never saw her wear it. A rather loud red color that she had loaned to Kate once. "Now sit still…"

Tom sighed, but did as he was told. He was quite sure he would never hear the end of this once the others caught sight of him.

* * *

Jack Aubrey was engrossed in a strange conflict between humans and people with odd looking bumps on their heads when a screaming fast moving blonde little girl flew in the room and jumped on his lap.

"Oof!" He exclaimed, catching the child. "Good heavens Maria. Why are you wearing my hat?" He raised an eyebrow at the little girl who was determined to climb all over him.

"Because I'm a pirate!" She answered as if it were the most logical answer in the world. "Wanna play?"

Jack managed to move the little girl off his lap and onto the floor where she continued to hop, unable to stay still. "What are you playing?"

"Pirates silly! Katalin wants to be a Princess so I'm gonna capture her and Tom's gonna try to rescue her but he's bigger than me and that's not really fair. So he said I should get **_you _**to play and you're bigger than Tom so we'll win. So will you play?" Maria somehow managed to get all this out in nearly one breath, and looked as sweetly as she could at him. "Puuuuulllllllleeeeeeeeeeaaaaaassssse?"

Jack could not help but chuckle and he exchanged an amused look with Blakeney who was still watching TV, laughing at the excited little girl in the Captain's hat. "Of course, we'll beat Tom now won't we?" Then with a mischievous gleam in his eyes he scowled in his best "pirate" impression, "Arggh!"

Maria giggled, "Yay!" She cheered. "I'd ask you to play too, Will, but then Tom and Katalin would be outnumbered and that wouldn't be fair."

"I think I'll go outside anyway, thank you Maria." Will said, standing up, still amused at the little girl who was so determined to have Jack play this game with her. "Perhaps when the doctor returns the sides will be even?"

"Okay!" Maria beamed, "You can be on **_my_** team Will."

"Er…" Will wasn't entirely sure whether that was a good thing or not, so he smiled kindly and made his excuses, ducking out of the apartment quite certain something in there was going to be broken and he did not want to face Miss Corin's wrath when she got home.

"Okay! Let's plan!" Maria scrambled up on the sofa.

"But I don't have a hat. Can I be a pirate without a hat?" Jack teased, tapping his hat on her little head.

"Hm….." Maria considered that for a moment. "Wait here!" She scampered off, rummaging in the hall closet, to reappear with a ridiculously large straw hat, It was round with pink and purple embroidery and purplish sparkles all over. "Here! A sombrero!"

Jack raised an eyebrow but put the hat on his head without protest. It could be far worse. "All right Captain Maria. We need swords do we not?"

Maria sighed, "Mommy made me leave **_my _**swords at home."

Jack blinked, wondering who in their right mind would allow a child like this to have a sword. "Perhaps a stick?" He suggested.

"Okay!" She giggled. "Mommy **_never _**let's me use anything pointy like that. She says I may poke an eye out or something silly."

"Hm… perhaps not a stick." Jack said as in afterthought, pondering for an idea that would not lead to injury.

Maria ran off to the closet once more, rummaging more, carelessly throwing unusable items into the hallway. "What about these wrapping paper rolls?" She asked, holding up the prized brown tubes.

"Those will do nicely." He said, smiling, taking one.

"Okay." Maria paced back and forth, hands on her hips, attempting to look very captainish. "I know this princess. She's loud and sneaky."

"Loud and sneaky, aye-aye." Jack said, giving her a little salute, enjoying every moment of this game.

"And she'll try to get away. Normally I tie her up with a jump rope but I don't have one here." She shrugged.

"What about normal rope then?" Jack suggested.

"Um… does Livia have normal rope?" Maria asked. "Wait! I know she does! In her bedroom closet! 'Cause Mommy saw it and told Grandmama that she probably uses it for kinky things!"

"Kinky things?" Jack shook his head, best not expand on that one. "Well, you can get it after we capture the Princess."

"Hey! I thought I was the Captain." Maria pouted slightly.

"Oh, yes. Apologies Cap'm. " He gave her another bobbing salute, highly amused. "What should we do?"

"We should get the rope after we kidnap Princess Katalin." She declared. "Now! Let's go get her!"

"Wait! We need a plan! That Tom Pullings is a good fighter. He won't be easy to get around, Cap'm." Jack told the girl, not wanting to lose this game to his first lieutenant.

"Oh…" She thought a minute. "Well, we could catch some worms and bugs and stuff and throw them at them!" She suggested, grinning quite evilly.

"Hm… somehow I don't think your cousin would approve." Jack replied, trying not to laugh at the thought of explaining how insects got loose in the apartment to Miss Corin.

Maria rolled her eyes, "Fine. You have any ideas then?"

"Well… I could distract Tom while you capture the Princess and take her back to our ship." Jack paused a moment, playing this simple idea out in his head. "Where is our ship by the way?"

"Livia's room." She answered. "Since their in the other room."

"All right." Jack secretly slipped another sword from the closet to give to Tom in the interest of fair play.

"Can we go now?" Maria asked, hopping with excitement.

Jack laughed, "Do you always go straight at 'em like this Maria?"

Maria shrugged, "No point in dilly-dallying."

"Well said." Jack was very entertained by this girl. "At your order Cap'm." He said, giving her a salute again, "sword" at the ready.

"NOW!" She took off down the hall, Jack following her.

As soon as he burst into the room behind Maria he could not help but let out a howl of laughter at the appearance of his poor first officer, face painted like a cross between a painted whore and an over done stage performer.

If Tom was turning red under all that make-up one certainly couldn't tell, but he played his role, jumping to his feet. "Oh no! It's pirate Jack!" He exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Maria was sneaking behind him, as he very well knew but choose to let the game play out. Jack, beaming like a boy tossed Tom a "sword". "I'll protect you Princess!" He exclaimed, lunging at his Captain, also enjoying the game, despite the make-up on his face.

"I think not, Tom Pullings, I have come to pillage and plunder!" Jack declared, countering his blows. Soon a full out "fight" had broken out between the enthusiastic men, who were both quite happy to have a somewhat familiar exercise, even if they were playing a game of pretend with two little girls.

Meanwhile, Maria had quite determinedly pulled her protesting sister along, wrapping her head in a blanket from Tom's futon bed. She paused a moment to watch the "fighting" with interest. "Wow they're good." She declared.

"Let **_me _**see! Maria! I can't see!" Katalin whined.

"That's the **_point _**stupid!" With that she drug her little sister out of the room and down the hall.

"OW! I STUBBED MY TOE! MARIA! NO FAIR! I'M TEEEEELLLLLINNNGGG!" They heard Katalin's cries echoing as she was forced into Olivia's room.

Tom and Jack both ceased their fight, both grinning like energetic young boys.

"Well, that was interesting." Jack said, swinging his sword a bit.

"Indeed." Tom replied, beaming. "And I do believe another moment and I would have had you, sir." He commented jestingly.

"Only because I am so very distracted by your **_face_**, Mr. Pullings." Jack countered, snickering. "May I ask-?"

"It's best left unexplained I think." Tom sighed. "Just know that if Katalin asks to play beauty shop, say no and quickly retreat without looking at the poor girl's sweet little face." Tom said, rolling his eyes at his own weakness.

Jack shrugged a little, "Well, I best make sure they don't break Miss Corin's bed." He said, hearing a crash in the other room and cringing a little.

Tom nodded, "I'll wait a bit. Good luck with them."

Jack grinned, picked up his sombrero and went down to Olivia's room to see what

the little duo was up to. He arrived to see them both jumping on the bed, giggling. Katalin was crying out like a damsel in distress but one could hardly tell it was distress through her fits of laughter.

"Cap'm!" Jack exclaimed, trying to look as piratey as possible. "Tom got away! He'll try to rescue the Princess."

"Oh." Maria stopped jumping on the bed and look at him quite seriously. "You didn't poke his eyes out?"

He managed not to laugh out loud, covering it with a cough. "I couldn't. Not with this sword."

"Okay." She hopped off the bed and got some rope out of the closet. "Jack! Tie up the prisoner!" She ordered, handing it to him.

"Hey! You're not allowed to do that anymore! Not since you left me out in the woods!" Katalin protested, crossing her arms.

"I know that, stupid. That's why I'm having **_Jack_** do it." Maria replied, tossing her head.

Jack shrugged, he did not see the harm in it, so he picked up little Katalin and plopped her into a chair. "Hold still." He instructed, securing her to the chair. "There. Now you can't escape."

Maria scrambled up on the bed and started jumping again chanting, "We got the Princess! We got the Princess! We got the Princess!"

"Oh stop gloating. They let you." Katalin pouted.

"Shut up lizard breath!"

"I'm a PRINCESS." Katalin declared, tossing her head with all the defiance a little girl could muster.

"Stupid one." Maria shot back.

Katalin looked positively scandalized. "I've been insulted!" She gasped.

Jack held back a laugh, she made a good little Princess, no doubts there. "Of course! We be pirates!" He scowled again. "Arrgh!"

"Arrgh!" Maria cried jumping excitably. Suddenly the bed gave way with a frightful crash, collapsing to the floor. Maria's eyes went wide and she stopped jumping. "Uh oh…" She muttered.

"Uh… perhaps you ought to get off the bed." Jack suggested mildly.

Maria nodded, her eyes filling with tears, and she slowly slid down to the floor.

"Awww… you're in **_trouble!_**" Katalin exclaimed with glee.

"Our ship appears to have run aground." Jack told the little girl, smiling kindly and wiping her tears.

"Livia's not gonna be mad is she?" Maria asked, sniffling slightly.

"Well…" Jack truthfully had no idea. "It was an accident of sorts."

Maria wiped her eyes and nodded, "Let's keep playing!"

"We need a new ship, cap'm! This one's badly damaged." Jack said, nodding to the bed.

"Hm…" Maria scampered around the room grabbing books and laying them in random piles. "There!" She declared.

Katalin was not convinced, "Why are they in random piles?"

"They're **_masts _**stupid." Maria rolled her eyes. The sass was back.

"Hm… well in that case…" Jack considered the books a moment then puttered around, fixing them to a more correct location in his head.

Maria raised an eyebrow, "Are you rearranging my ship?"

"I'm making it faster." Jack replied, "So Tom won't catch us."

"Oh that's good then." Maria grinned, very pleased.

However, apparently their faster ship was not enough, for at that moment Tom jumped in the door, "sword" held high. "Let the Princess go!" He declared with a dramatic swing of the sword.

Jack filled his role well, rushing to meet Tom. "Never!"

"No!" Maria cried out, sitting on her sister, apparently to guard her.

"Ow!" Katalin protested. "Get off me!"

Tom and Jack both paused, looking at the two girls with amusement as Maria seemed to think sitting on her sister was the best way to guard her, before returning to their own play. "Let the Princess go!"

"Never! **ARRRGHH!" **Jack bellowed.

"Fine, I'll just have to fight you for her!" Tom declared, lunging at his Captain. They were very convincing in their roles, Tom the hero and Jack the pirate, and the fight swirled around the room, both men jumping over the "masts" and onto the broken "ship" then off again.

"Argh! You can't beat us Tom Pullings!" Jack cried out, lunging at his opponent.

"Ha! I can to pirate Jack!" Tom replied, pushing him backwards against the bed so that Jack would stumble a bit. "Ha ha! I've got you now!"

Adding his own bit of drama to the act he made one last lunge, leaving himself open for the "blow" to his stomach. "**_Ohhh! I've been STABBED!_**" Jack cried out, collapsing to the floor with a thud.

"Let the Princess go!" Tom demanded again, stepping over the groaning, "suffering" Jack.

Maria jumped up, "But I'm still alive! So you can't have her!" She declared, crossing her arms.

"Then I'll fight you!" Tom tossed her fallen Jack's sword, grinning ear to ear.

"Okay." Maria picked up the sword looking up at him. "But you'll have to get on your knees because you're way too tall."

Tom did so, becoming more eye level with Maria. "Better?" He asked.

Maria nodded, "Much!" She declared, swinging her weapon at his head quite wildly leaving Tom just barely enough time to block her blows. With extra embellished swings he made it appear as though they were having a convincing fight, while Maria was really just swinging wildly.

"She's ticklish Tom!" Katalin called out from her seat, giggling like mad.

"TRAITOR!" Maria cried out, glaring at her sister.

"Aha! A weakness!" Tom laughed, reaching out to grab the girl.

"Not if I'm still alive!" Jack suddenly reached out and tackled the unsuspecting Pullings to the ground away from his "Cap'm".

"Oof!" Pullings hit the ground hard, not expecting the blow from behind. "I thought you were dead, sir!"

"Not yet. Last breath, you see." Jack grinned, and flopped back over to being wounded and dying on the floor.

Maria took advantage of the winded Pullings and leapt on him, giggling. "Now I got you!" She declared, attacking Tom with all her might.

However courageous Maria was she was still a very small girl and Tom easily got a hold of her, "Ha ha! I've got you now it seems!" He then proceeded to tickle the squirming girl, causing her to shriek with giggles.

"No fair!" Maria squirmed harder, but was laughing to hard to make any real effort of escape.

At that moment, Stephen and Will, having heard all the noise reappeared. Stephen stepped in looking at the broken bed, books scattered everywhere stepped upon, and Jack Aubrey laying in the floor groaning as if he were dying. "What's all this?" He asked curiously.

Jack grinned up at his friend and the young midshipman. "Tom's trying to rescue the Princess," He nodded towards Katalin, "From us pirates."

"I see…" He and Blakeney exchanged an amused look, and Blakeney, not wanting to be associated with the mess in the rather particular Miss Corin's room excused himself to the computer for a game of minesweeper. He was at the age where associating with such games made him feel rather silly, and he found the energetic little girls rather tiresome to tell the truth. He would much rather not be involved in the game.

"Tickling me isn't very hero-like!" Maria protested, still attempting to get away from Tom.

"Sure it is!" Tom laughed, continuing to restrain the girl.

Maria then thought quickly and looked to the door. "Oh. Hi Livia!" She called out in a sing-song voice so convincing they all turned to look.

Tom loosened his grip on the girl just enough so that as soon as he saw Olivia was no there she had gathered up her sword. "Ha ha!" She gave him a swept whop on the head and leapt away, giggling in glee.

Tom gave a fake gasp and collapsed to the floor. "Oh no! I've been hit!" He spied Stephen standing in the doorway. "Stephen! Help me rescue the Princess!"

Jack laughed, "No, no, brother, pray be a pirate!"

"Well, what a difficult decision." Stephen frowned, as if thinking very hard. "Whichever will I choose?"

"Rescue me and I'll give you gold!" Katalin cried out from her chair.

"No fair! Besides, pirates have lots of gold! And parrots!" Maria stated, hopping from one foot to another.

"Well, Stephen, which side do you chose?" Jack asked.

"Hm… well… Mr. Pullings appears to be dreadfully outnumbered." He carefully made his way over to Katalin. "I shall…. RESCUE THE PRINCESS!" Stephen quickly pulled her out of the ropes and lifted the little girl up.

"Yay! My hero!" Katalin declared, grinning.

"No fair! I didn't get warning." Maria pouted.

"Tide of war." Tom shrugged, standing up. "Does this mean we win?"

"Oh I rescued the Princess, true enough, but I have my own purposes.. mwahahaha!" Stephen laughed evilly.

"Oh no! It's Stephen the spy!" Tom cried out, laughing as Katalin squirmed.

"Well in that case put me down!" She declared, managing to twist out of his arms and fall on the floor, onto a pile of books. "OW!"

"Get him!" Maria shouted, diving at Stephen.

"I can't Cap'm. I'm wounded." Jack called from the floor.

Maria paused and turned back to him. "Oh well. You put up a brave fight." She said earnestly.

Jack and Tom laughed at this quite adorable statement, as she tackled Stephen to the ground. "Oof!" He cried out, tripping over a stack of books.

Maria gasped. "My mast!"

"Stephen the spy broke our ship." Jack mused. "How terribly appropriate."

"Aren't you dead, sir?" Tom asked, looking down at him.

"Not yet, Mr. Pullings." He replied. "Almost."

Maria was occupied. "Stephen, get up. I need to fix my mast."

"But I'm still here! I can rescue the Princess!" Tom rushed over to get Katalin, but was intercepted by Maria, who had climbed onto the bed quickly and attached herself to his neck. "Ack! I'm being attacked!"

Meanwhile, Jack eyed Stephen with an evil grin. "Help me Doctor, I am dying. I will pay you gold."

"And silver no doubt?" Stephen raised an eyebrow.

"No doubt." Jack replied.

"Hm… very well." He looked around and handed him a paper tissue. "You are bandaged." He declared.

"Ha ha!" Jack jumped to his feet. "You are out numbered Pullings! Surrender!"

"Never!" Tom cried out, however it was a rather strained cry for Maria was squeezing around his neck rather hard.

"I've got him!" She shouted, almost in his ear, causing him to cringe slightly.

"Tie him up!" Jack ordered with a malicious grin.

"Okay!" Maria looked around. "With what? We're out of rope."

"Hm…" Jack looked around.

"Dental floss?" She suggested.

Jack paused, remembering the little string that Olivia had explained as floss. "No, that won't hold him, Cap'm. He's quite strong."

Maria shrugged, "Just untie the Princess. I can sit on her and she won't escape."

"Aye-aye!" Jack untied the Princess then put the rope around Tom, grinning ear to ear with amusement as Maria hopped down and sat on her sister.

"Ow! Maria! You're squishing!" Katalin grumbled.

Jack tied up his first lieutenant, but not tightly, hoping to give him a chance to escape to make things more interesting. "Argh!" He gave Tom a light shove. "Pullings should walk the plank!"

"Yay!" Maria cheered.

"No! Never!" Tom protested with all the drama he could muster. "You'll never be rid of me!"

"Why not?" Maria asked curiously.

"Um…" Well, it was an honest question, one Tom had no answer for. "Because…"

"Because!" Katalin declared from under her sister. "We want him to marry Livia, stupid!" She stated rather bluntly. "He's cool."

Maria nodded, "Yeah I agree. He's **_way _**more fun than any of her other boyfriends." She stood, walking over to the tied-up Pullings and stating her sentence. "You won't have to walk the plank if you promise you'll marry Livia."

Tom blushed bright red as Jack snickered. He knew Olivia was not ready to tell her family yet, and if he told these little girls was already planning to marry their cousin they would be sure to tell every person they saw. "We shall see." He said, loosening his ropes. "Until then…" He sprung free and gathered up Maria. "Ha ha! Give up the Princess or your Cap'm shall be shark bait!"

"Oh no! My Cap'm!" Jack cried out in mock horror.

Katalin looked around, "No one's guarding me, you know."

Jack grabbed her up, facing Tom. "Aha! A hostage situation!"

"Drat." Katalin muttered. "Missed my chance."

"It appears, gentlemen, you both have hostages." Stephen observed mildly.

"I'm not a hostage!" Maria looked cross. "I'm a pirate!"

"You're my hostage." Tom told her. "Until I get the Princess back."

"Well, I can't control that if I'm your hostage now can I?" She shot back with a overly-dramatic roll of her eyes.

"But he can." Tom said, nodding at Jack.

"She's rather sneaky, isn't she?" Stephen observed.

Maria looked up, "Livia's way worse."

"Yeah. One time we captured her, and she convinced us to untie her then attacked us with rubber-bands!" Katalin complained, wrinkling her nose.

Tom chuckled, "Sounds like her."

"What?" Maria blinked.

"Getting you to untie her." He explained.

"You guys have played pirates with Livia?" Katalin asked.

Maria looked as if she had a revelation. "So **_that's _**what the kinky rope is for!"

"Kinky rope?" Tom muttered, asking more himself than anyone.

"Um… no… perhaps others have…" Jack told the girls.

Tom gave them a blank look, horrified by the thought as his eyes slowly went wide while all the illicit uses for that rope went through his mind.

Jack noticed this and quickly moved the game on. "Oh.. um.. ARGH! Give up the Cap'm!" He cried out, pulling Tom out of his thoughts. "Or I'll kill the Princess!"

"Ack!" Katalin squirmed. "Don't kill me! It's not nice!"

"I'm a pirate." He explained. "It's what I do."

"You know too much about this game." Katalin sighed.

Jack laughed, "Apparently so."

"Let me have to Princess or I'll kill the Cap'm." Tom shot back.

"Hm…" Jack pondered a moment. "Then it appears we'll be here for a very long time."

"Let's discuss this over tea and strumpets." Katalin suggested.

Jack choked on his laughter. "That's a very good idea, Princess." He said, grinning at the thought of a nice strumpet in his lap while he drank his tea.

"Crumpets, Princess." Tom corrected, amused as well. "You mean crumpets."

"What's a strumpet then?" She asked.

"It's a lady who…" Stephen started, but stopped when the other two men gave him a sharp look. "I'm not quite sure actually."

"Grandmama called Livia a strumpet once." Maria added. The all looked at her and she looked back, confused. "What?"

"Stephen, would you be so kind as to come here a moment?" Tom asked.

Stephen wandered over, dodging his way through the mess on the floor. "Yes?"

"Go stab Jack and we can win this game." He whispered.

"Hey! No fair!" Maria protested. "Watch out Jack!"

But her protests were in vain for Stephen leapt across the room and stabbed Jack with a sword. "Ha ha!"

Jack clutched his chest and gently dropped the Princess. "Oh… Stephen… I'm hurt in both ways… you betrayed me!" And with that he collapsed to the floor dead.

Katalin blinked, "Who just rescued me?" She asked.

"Stephen." Tom told her.

"My hero!" She gave him a big hug, grinning in triumph.

Maria sighed. "Did I just lose?"

"I think you did." Tom replied, seriously.

"I could escape!" Maria twisted and squirmed determinedly.

Tom chuckled, "I don't think so."

Maria continued to struggle however, until her foot swung out and kicked a lamp, causing it to crash to the floor and break. "Uh oh…"

"Um… perhaps we should move to where there's more space?" Tom suggested, looking at the smashed lamp.

Maria was near tears, her lower lip was trembling as she looked at her destruction. Then the worst thing in her mind that could possibly occur happened.

"I'm home!" Olivia had just come in the apartment door.

They all froze, for the first time noticing the mess in the room. Maria burst into tears, sobbing against Tom's shoulder.

"Oh Maria…" Tom sighed, patting her back comfortingly. "It's all right."

"Is Livia going to be mad at me?" She asked in a wavering voice.

"If you tell her what happened she might not be." Tom assured the girl, thinking to himself that while she might not become angry with the cousins she was sure to be angry with those who were supposed to be in charge.

"Where are you…. Guys." She stopped short when she entered her bedroom, staring at the destruction. Her face was absolutely devoid of emotion, making them all extremely nervous. "Okay… who wants to start?"

They all looked to Tom, "Well… uh…" He stuttered.

She held up a hand, "Wait. Don't tell me. Pirates?"

"Pirates." He confirmed.

"And why was my room the ship?" She asked.

"Because the Cap'm commanded it." Jack said, nodding towards Maria.

"We needed your bed." She clung to Tom for dear life.

"My bed…" She noticed the tilting bed for the first time. "Whoa."

"I'm sorry Livia!" Maria sniffled.

Olivia shrugged, "That I know how to fix. It's happened before."

"Oh yeah!" Maria's eyes lit up and she squirmed down from Tom. "Remember when you babysat us a long time ago and you thought we were asleep while you were on the phone? And you were telling a friend about how your bed fell in when you and that piano guy were mmph! Mmph!" The last part of that was muffled as Olivia clamped a hand over the girl's mouth.

"Maria, munchkin, don't push it." She ordered, turning slightly red.

Tom's eyes went wide again and he looked at Olivia questioningly. "Piano guy?"

"Um… old boyfriend from two years ago." She explained quickly. "Anyway, that doesn't explain how all my text books are on the floor stepped all over. Those books are part of the reason why I have two jobs."

"Well… I needed masts." Maria explained.

"And they're still useable." Jack added.

Olivia stared at them both. "It's dark in here. Could someone turn on the lamp?"

"Um…" Tom hesistated.

Her back stiffened. "Tom?"

"Yes dear?"

"If I turn around will I see a lamp?" She asked.

"Um… no… dear… I don't believe you will." He replied sheepishly.

"Okay… what do you all suggest I do about this?" She asked, calmly, placing a stack of books back on the shelf.

"Hug us and forgive?" Maria suggested.

"Blame her." Katalin pointed at her sister.

"Marry Tom?" Maria supplied.

"What?" Olivia raised an eyebrow at her cousins.

Katalin giggled, "It'd be his punishment!"

"Kiddio, you girls are already in trouble. Don't push it." Olivia rolled her eyes.

"Nice hat Jack." She commented.

"That…" Jack took off the hat. "Wasn't my idea."

"Just out of curiosity who won?" She asked, going over to Tom and Maria.

"Um… I did." Tom said, unable to keep a hint of pride out of his voice.

"So… this one is a prisoner?" She grabbed up her cousin in a iron grip, lifting her off her feet.

"EEK!" Maria cried out. "Livia that is not fair!"

"What's this about fair?" She asked, teasingly. "You're a pirate!"

Tom grinned, "Now you're in trouble. Sent before the judge." He said, nodding to Olivia.

Olivia laughed, "Nice make-up, dear." She commented to Tom.

He blushed slightly. "The Princess insisted."

"So you're not mad?" Maria asked.

"Nope. Not mad." Olivia swung her cousin around. "So, gentlemen, what do you suggest we do with this pirate?"

"Have her jump the plank?" Tom suggested.

Jack grinned wickedly, "Hang her from the yardarm!"

"Aren't you dead?" Maria cast him a dark glare.

"Hm… the plank… the pool's open." Olivia said thoughtfully.

Maria's eyes went wide, "You **_wouldn't_**."

"She would." Tom answered, grinning at Olivia over the girl's head.

"Oh my dear little cousin, and I thought you knew me." Olivia gave her an evil smile, "Now, shall we transport the prisoner?"

"But I'm wearing clothes!"

"I can wash them."

"But… what if I drown?" Maria asked.

Olivia laughed, "I taught you to swim two years ago, Maria, you're on a swim team. Don't give me that."

"What about the other pirate?" Tom asked. "The dead one."

"Oh… bring him to. Share the crime share the time." Olivia said with a smirk at

Jack. "Blakeney can help."

Tom grinned, "Mr. Blakeney!" He hollered.

"Sir?" The lad appeared, still a midshipman at heart.

"Be so kind as to help us transport some prisoners will you?" Tom indicated Maria and the Captain.

A slow grin broke out on Blakeney's face. "Aye sir." He boldly took the rear and followed the strange possession down to the pool. Olivia at the front carrying a squirming Maria, Tom and Stephen flanking Jack, and Katalin walking beside Blakeney, giggling all the way.

The reached the pool and Olivia stopped by the edge. "Mr. Pullings, if you would be so kind as to state the charges."

Tom cleared his throat quite officially. "For engaging in piracy, destruction of

property, kidnapping, and the vicious murder of some books, you are hereby ordered to walk the plank. May God have mercy on your souls." He then stepped back to take his position with the Doctor and young Blakeney to push Jack in the water.

"One… two…" Olivia started the count.

"Livia, you can't be serious!" Maria protested.

"**_THREE!_**" With that she tossed her young cousin into the pool with a splash.

Jack was shoved, but more willingly jumped than anything, grabbing hold of the Doctor and pulling him in with him

Stephen came up sputtering. "Jack!"

Jack Aubrey laughed, splashing his friend. "Revenge, my good sir."

"Livia, you are the coolest!" Katalin declared, running over to her cousin and hugging her. A hug with rather dubious intentions as she attempted to move Olivia closer to the pool's edge.

Olivia caught on right away. "Oh no you don't." She said, bracing herself against the little girl.

Tom noticed this and gave her a mischievous look, wandering over to them attempting to look as innocent as possible.

"Don't you **_dare_**." She said, giving him the look.

Tom however did indeed dare, and with her already off balance from Katalin it only too a small shove from him to send her flying into the water.

"**_TOM!_**" She shouted when she surfaced, pushing her hair back form her face. "You're supposed to be on my side!"

He laughed, "I couldn't help it, my dear!"

Olivia looked at Jack with a grin. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"I believe so." He replied.

"Uh oh." Tom sensed his doom and slowly started backing up. However, he was stopped by Blakeney.

"Sir you must face punishment for that it seems." He said, blocking his escape as Jack and Olivia hopped out of the water and caught Tom. One on either arm, dragging him to the poor.

"AH! No! I didn't mean it!" He protested.

Olivia laughed, "Oh yes you did."

He looked at her sweetly, "Olivia, have I told you how much I love you?"

"That only works on one of us, Tom." Jack said, continuing to drag him towards the pool.

"Besides that was **_before_** you pushed me in." Olivia added. "Ready?"

Jack nodded, "On three."

"Now really…" Tom protested.

"One… two… **_THREE!_**"

Tom let out a scream as he was pushed into the pool, Olivia jumped in to follow him and Jack did as well, making a splash that coated everyone. Blakeney ran and jumped in as well, and a massive splash fight broke out with no defined sides. It was all for one as they fought.

Finally, they all went back upstairs and changed into dry things. Tom set to making dinner and Olivia sat on the counter talking to Tom as the cousins had been sent to change as when they had reappear it had been in their bathing suites and Olivia told them they'd already been swimming once today and it was too close to dinner. He told her about their day and why his face had become Katalin's experiment. Luckily, the pool seemed to get most of it off and he finally could wash his face without upsetting Katalin, and Olivia promised after dinner to remove the nail polish, even though she had teasingly told him that pink was a good color for him.

She talked about mashing her thumb with a hammer. It did look rather awful, an odd shade of purple and an ugly clot of blood trapped under her thumbnail, but she insisted she was all right. He was amused to hear of her building things in the shop and teased her, calling her a regular carpenter, one with bad aim apparently.

Suddenly, two giggling girls reappeared and attached themselves to either of Tom's legs.

He paused and looked down, "I seem to have two growths on my legs."

The growths giggled and beamed up at him.

"Girls, have you cleaned up your mess?" Olivia asked, amused at how attached they were to Tom, literally.

"No." Came the general reply.

"Well, go do it then." Olivia said. "I'm not cleaning that up."

"But Livia!" Katalin moaned.

"Go." She replied.

Katalin grudgingly got up and stalked off but Maria continued to cling to Tom.

Tom continued to cut the vegetables. "It's rather hard to clean when you're attached to my leg, Maria."

She looked up at him, "You're out to get me tonight, aren't you?"

Tom laughed, "I am. Now go on then."

Maria sighed and left to clean up. "Fine, fine. But I won't be happy about it!"

Olivia laughed, after she left, "They like you."

"Apparently." Tom said, grinning despite himself.

"You have a way with the little ones, Tom." Jack had wandered in looking for a drink and was rooting around in the refrigerator.

Tom blushed slightly, "Thank you, sir." He said as Jack left, with ice cream instead of a drink.

Olivia grinned, "Well, you have two members of my family that like you now. One more and you'll be even with me." She said, tying her wet hair back with a chuckle.

"Yes… about that." Tom looked at her, a confused expression on his face. "Does your grandmother really call you a strumpet?"

Olivia blinked then rolled her eyes. "Which cousin?"

"Maria." He replied. "I learned quite a bit from them."

"I'll bet." Olivia sighed, "Let's see… strumpet… yes she calls me that. She calls me a whore; I call her a mean old bitch. We have a great relationship." Olivia let out a bitter little laugh. "Dysfunction all around."

"Indeed." Tom sensed that pressing that matter was a bad idea and decided on another line of questioning. "And… what's this I hear about you wrestling with your old boyfriend?" He asked with a teasing gleam in his eye.

Olivia choked slightly, "What?"

"Katalin said you were losing." Tom continued, enjoying seeing her discomfort. She was normally so composed. "I'm surprised at you, Olivia."

She stared at him in shock and then laughed, "I'd like to think we both won." She said cheekily.

"Olivia!" He laughed out loud, leaning over to kiss her.

She returned his laugh, returning his kiss. "Maybe later I'll show you a few of those old moves." She whispered.

Tom gave her an amused looked, "I don't know, Olivia." He said casually, returning his attention to the vegetables. "Katalin said you lost, and I'd rather prefer the lady to win. Multiple times if possible."

Olivia froze in shock and stared at him. He looked up giving her a cheeky look, a sly grin slowly spreading across his face. She blinked and slowly a smile formed on her face as well, "Why Mr. Pullings, did you just make a suggestive comment?"

"I believe I did, Miss Corin." He replied, turning to dump some greens into a pot.

Olivia laughed, hopping off the counter, "I am **_such _**a bad influence on you." She said, turning and going off to supervise her cousins. "Girls! You better be in there working!" She called as a warning.

Tom grinned, watching her go, before turning back to the dinner he was making. Today had been a good day.

* * *

A/N: Yes, yes before any of you say a word I have to apologize for how long it took me to post this. But I do have a good excuse. I worked to get ahead so I wouldn't stress over exams. Did all my work except for one or two minor things. Had this chapter written down to where Olivia comes home. Then WHAMO! Saturday before exams my hard drive cashes. Lost everything. Well, almost everything. That sort of thing plus exams was rather distracting. So I have a good excuse! Don't be mad! In fact, I'm staying up later than I probably should tonight to post this sucker. Because I love you guys!

Due to the lateness of this post I didn't carefully proofread. So if you find more grammatical errors than normal that's why. Haha also, this chapter is twice as long as I normally post. I could have split this in two but I decided it's better all as one.

Also, this chapter (haha and most of the good ideas in this story) was pretty much co-written with Elessar King. All of Jack and Tom's best lines like "I think not, Tom Pullings, I have come to pillage and plunder." Were all hers. She's the brilliant one. I just put it in story form and added and left out a few things here and there. Bow to the might of Elessar King!

**_Frannypants:_** I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and Tom's nails seemed to turn out well, still pink though. I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations and thanks for reviewing!

**_ClaireRickman_**: Haha good thing you're treating Stephen well. He's rather whiny at times if not taken for enough walks. Haha yes I agree grown men and little girls usually makes for some interesting times. Olivia's room has been destroyed. Hope you enjoyed and sorry about the long wait… and the long chapter!

**_Gaeriel Palpatine:_** Haha I'm glad you're enjoying this so far. This story evolved from joking around with the brilliant Elessar King and it got to the point where I had to write it. LOL and now they're back in the pool! You may borrow Pullings because you reviewed and it's fun to loan him to people every now and then. But be sure to send him back soon! I need him! Thanks for reviewing and putting me on your favorites m'dear! I'm honored

**_Eldarwen999:_** Well, there's the end result of beauty shop. It wasn't pretty… but she thought it was and that's all that matters. Stephen likes to pout. I think it's his job. Though he got over it in this chapter. Sorry about the wait and hope this chapter was worth it!

**_ArcherofDarkness and Callie:_** Caffeine is nice. I agree. Muppets one of the best movies ever. It doesn't matter how old you are. You have to love that movie. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter and hope you found this one amusing as well. Sorry it took so long and sorry that the chapter itself is really long. Thanks for sticking with me!

**_Calliope-Elven-Agent: _**Haha poor Tom. He was abused in this chapter.

Tom: (rubbing at pink fingernails) Yes I was!

Me: You had fun. Admit it.

Tom: Beating up the Captain, yes. Getting goo all over my face, no.

Baby. I'm sorry this took so long but if you could please recall the Attack Llamas? They're scaring my bunny rabbit and if the bunny rabbit is scared, nothing gets done because that rabbit is my baby. Haha thanks for reviewing! Hopefully the next update won't take so long… unless my hard drive crashes again… (mutters darkly)

**_Norma Jean the Dancing Machine:_** Oh I hope I didn't sound mad. I certainly was not! I like answering questions (well… the ones that I am willing to answer haha) so never ever be afraid to ask me anything! Haha people here can tell you that if you email me and ask me for future plot details and spoilers 9 times out of 10 I'll give them to you. I'm not picky and I am horrible at keeping secrets. Blakeney may get a girl in later chapters. I have one more section to go (section mind you… not chapter) and then I'm thinking of focusing on him a little. For a change in pace. Maybe. Haven't decided for sure yet. Anyway, thanks for reviewing my dear, sorry about the wait but it was the computer's fault, and feel free to ask as many questions as you would like!

**_Kaytee_**: I got you more! It just took awhile! Stupid computer crashing! Hope you enjoyed and thanks for the kind words.

**_Miss Flossy:_** Haha yet again I shall email you later. I was writing my butt off the later half of this week trying to get this done. It helps that I'm at school for commencement band with no TV, no friends, nothing but me and my computer and an occasional symphony rehearsal. Promise to email you soon! Tomorrow even! And now you have to update yourself eh? Hint hint. Poke poke. I want to know what you've got in store for the ladies! Oh… Tom wants to say something.

Tom: Yes, hit Mowett for me!

Me: That's not nice.

Tom: He's laughing at me.

Me: We're all laughing at you. You make the most ugly woman I've ever seen!

Tom: (pouts)

He's kind of mad at me. But at least he got to play pirates. Try as he might he can't pretend he didn't enjoy that. Haha hope you enjoyed the insane chapter and update soon m'dear!

**_Anyana_**: Who doesn't love muppets? Haha that's cute that you wanted to marry Kermit. As soon as the pig becomes bacon I'm sure he's all yours. Hope you enjoyed this despite the wait. I tried! Thanks for reviewing m'dear, it's always a pleasure to hear from you.

**_Et-spiritus-sancti_**: Haha your favorite chapter was nine eh? Haha yeah I've been on the receiving end of beauty shop too. Hey, it keeps them occupied anyway. And I guarantee you I didn't look as silly as Tom! I think I may have taken the guys slightly out of character this time but I don't care! I had fun writing this chapter! Hope you had fun reading it! And sorry it took so long. You have no idea how sorry I am. But thanks for reviewing m'dear! Appreciate it!

**_Elessar King:_** LOL you've already gotten praise and I probably imed you half the chapter anyway. But I'll comment to you because you reviewed. Yay you! Muppets were fun. Pirates is more fun. Hope the chapter lived up to your expectations. Haha count the number of lines I stole! Haha all of Tom and Jack's probably. Hehe we're so weird. We really are. Now….. moo!

_**The lady of the shadows:** _Haha yay! The 100th reviewer! WHOO! Sorry I didn't update soon. But as stated above that was beyond my control. Stupid computer. Actually, as I'm on this computer I better tell it that it's a nice computer or it'll crash again. Hope you enjoyed the update despite it being long and late and thanks for my 100th review!

**_Proudmaxfan:_** Muppets really is great. I thought it'd be funny for Jack to see that movie for obvious reason, they're on a boat singing. Now I have a funny mental image of him on the quarterdeck and he suddenly breaks into "Cabin Fever" and makes Killick where the banana hat and stuff. Eww that's kind of scary actually. We better hope that doesn't happen. Sorry the update took so long and thanks for reviewing!

Wow. Say you're putting nail polish on Tom and you get reviews. I'll have to do that more often.

Tom: Hey!

Me: Go back to bed.

Tom: With….. Olivia?

Me: (evil grin) That gives me an idea

Tom: I don't like that look……

Not that I'm not grateful for all the review thus far. You guys are awesome. But I really want to know what people thought of this chapter! So…. Review or Tom will never get laid.

Tom: Hey! That's mean

Me: No it's not. It's true.

Tom: (glare) Bean, if you're not nice I'm not going to clean up your dorm room tomorrow and you will never get out of Farmville. EVER.

Me: Sigh. Fine….

Okay so review and Tom will dance the Macarena in his make-up and pink fingernails. It'll be great guys. So review and I'll force Tom to do that.

Tom: Hey!

Me: It's either that or the never getting to get laid threat.

Tom: Sigh. What color lipstick?

He's such a good boy. Anyway guys, thanks so much for waiting for this chapter! I know it took forever! Until next time (which hopefully won't be as long a wait), happy reading!


	11. Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Olivia yawned as she pulled her car into her apartment complex parking lot. It had been a long day. She had only planned to go in to pick up her check and somehow got talked into working yet again. She was unable to get away from the bar until nine a bit after nine, and had to fight to do so. It was Friday, classes started Monday, students were pouring back into the town and the Watering Hole, better known among the students as the "Hole" was downright hopping with customers. She was almost surprised she managed to get out when she did.

Luckily, Tom had been more than willing to baby-sit her cousins for the evening. They absolutely loved him. It was really rather sweet. They had become his little shadows, always pestering him for attention. Olivia hated to say it, but she was almost glad that tomorrow morning her Aunt was coming for the girls. At least she would get some time alone with Tom, well, maybe. She knew very well that once her classes started she would rarely be home. She was going to be constantly busy, and in order to feed the four extra residents in her apartment and pay rent she would not be able to cut back on her hours at work as much as she usually did. Olivia anticipated many all-nighters and sleep deprivation for the next several months as she tried to manage it all.

With a sigh she leaned back and grabbed the groceries out of the backseat. She was going to have to tell Jack to lay off the ice cream. Having discovered the frozen treat Jack Aubrey had become painfully addicted, going through the box quicker than she ever thought possible. Olivia had been quite annoyed yesterday when she was all set to pile up on the sofa and watch a movie with a bowl of ice cream only to find that Jack had eaten it all that morning. Shifting the bags, she fumbled in her purse for her keys, distracted while she walked up the stairs. She was not paying very much attention to her surroundings and stumbled, catching her balance by clinging to the rail and dropping a bag of groceries.

She swore under her breath and kneeled to pick up what spilled out onto the ground. Out of the corner of her eye she thought she saw movement in the shadows and paused, scanning the area. She had the uneasy feeling that someone was watching her and so she quickly stuffed the bag full again and raced up the stairs into the apartment, shutting the door behind her quickly and locking the deadbolt with its loud click. She was not one to ignore her instincts, and the eerie feeling that had come over her just now in the stairwell had put her senses at full alert and made her slightly jumpy.

"Hello Miss Corin." Boomed a voice from behind. Olivia, in her rattled state, jumped and spun around, only to see Jack Aubrey innocently greeting her as he came from the kitchen with a glass of milk.

"Oh. It's just you." She breathed, managing a weak smile and shifting the groceries again. "I bought more ice cream. Try not to eat it all by tomorrow."

Jack raised an eyebrow at her obviously odd reaction to his greet. "Are you well?" He asked, reaching out to help her with the bags.

"Yes…" Olivia eyed the door again and shook her head. She was being paranoid. She hated being like that, and vowed to forget it right that instant. "Yes, I'm fine. You just startled me is all." She gladly handed him several of the grocery bags and followed him into the kitchen to put them away. "Where is everyone?"

"Stephen and Blakeney went out in search of bats and to observe those strange insects that come out at night." Jack said, opening the newly bought ice cream and getting a bowl for himself.

"Go easy on the ice cream will you?" Olivia asked, putting away the last of the groceries. "Where's Tom?"

"Attempting to get your cousins to bed." He chuckled to himself, putting the now lighter ice cream in the freezer. "Attempting mind you."

Olivia smiled at this comment. Her cousins took advantage of Tom's good nature and could play him like a drum. The poor man was quite susceptible to the "look". Still smiling Olivia went down the hall and paused at the crack in the door to listen in on Tom and her cousins.

They were sitting in the floor, backs against her bed. Maria was on his left, peering at the book he was reading and quite awake, while Katalin looked wiped out, thumb in her mouth and snuggled under his right arm, staring sleepily at the pages.

Tom was reading to them, a stack of books lying on her bed told her that this was not the first book he had read that night either. She leaned in closer to hear what book he was reading, amused at the adorable sight.

"… So I will eat them in a box. And I will eat them with a fox. And I will eat them in a house. And I will eat them with a mouse. And I will eat them here and there. Say! I will eat them ANYWHERE!" Tom read, his voice was soothing and he was doing a good job reading the simple story, his accent making it sound new and his enthusiasm causing her to laugh softly at the scene before her.

"Can goats swim?" Maria asked, looking at the pictures curiously.

"What?" Tom asked, looked down at her.

"Can goats swim?" She repeated, pointing.

Tom looked at the picture, a smile playing at his lips, amused by her curiosity. "I cannot say I know, Maria, but it appears that one can."

"'sit over?" Katalin yawned, sleepily, losing the battle to keep her eyes open.

Tom turned the page, "Last page. Should I read it?" He asked.

"Read it!" Maria ordered.

Katalin merely shrugged and cuddled against him again, sticking her thumb firmly back in her mouth.

Tom cleared his throat and finished the book, "I do so like green eggs and ham! Thank you! Thank you! Sam-I-am!" He closed the book with a snap. "Now, to bed. Both of you."

Katalin nodded, agreeably, but Maria clung to his arm, "One more! Please?"

"No Maria. That was your fifth bedtime story." He said firmly, helping Katalin into her sleeping bag.

Maria sighed, but climbed into hers as well. "Goodnight Tom." She chirped.

"Goodnight midgets." He replied, using Olivia's nickname for them.

Katalin curled up, clinging to her stuffed bear, "Maria? Are you going to ask him?"

"Ask me what?" Tom moved to turn off the lights, pausing at the switch.

Maria looked up at him, "Me and Katalin were wondering if you wanted to marry Livia." She exchanged a look with her sister. "'Cause we think you should."

"Do you?" He smiled fondly at them. "Well, that's up to your cousin I suppose."

"Did you ask her?" Katalin asked, suddenly more awake than before.

Tom seemed to hesitate a moment, knowing that telling these girls of their engagement would make them extremely happy, but also knowing that Olivia would probably not be too pleased. "Go to sleep, both of you."

"You didn't answer the question." Maria pointed out, sharp as ever.

"To sleep." He repeated his orders, shutting out the light. "Goodnight girls."

"Night Tom!" They both replied as he turned to go.

Olivia stepped back from the bedroom door as he came out, smiling at him. "Hi." She greeted simply.

"Hi." He replied, giving her a kiss as greeting. "What kept you?"

"I got talked into working, again, and I had to pick up groceries, again." She explained. "Is there any dinner left? I'm starved."

"Did you not eat?" Tom raised an eyebrow and sighed heavily when she shook her head no. "Olivia Corin, you have to take better care of yourself."

"I know, I know, eating tends to become an afterthought these days." She responded, turning and heading down to the kitchen with him in tow to heat up some food. "Is that it in the blue one?" She asked opening the refrigerator.

"No, I saved you a plate." He replied, leaning over her and getting it out, putting it in the microwave. He hesitated at the machine. "You should do that, I never will like using that thing."

Olivia grinned and punched in the time to heat up her food. "The girls were up late." She commented.

Tom rolled his eyes, "It took over an hour to convince them to get in their sleeping bags. They kept asking for stories."

She laughed, "That's because they know you'll read them all." Teasingly she wrapped her arms around his neck, her eyes shining. "Do you like green eggs and ham?"

He blinked, confused, then caught the joke. "I do, I do, Miss Sam-I-am." He replied with a laugh, putting his arms around her waist from instinct. "Do you think it will be like this when we have children?"

Olivia blinked, pulling back from him a little, looking up at him in shock. "W- what?" She asked, a strange expression on her face.

Tom stared at her, confused at her sudden reaction. "When we have children of our own…" he ventured, noticing that she was slightly paler than before. "Olivia? What is it?"

She pulled away from his embrace and went to the sink, getting herself a glass of water. He knew this move, whenever something was bothering her she would attempt to buy herself time and distract him from it. He was getting quite tired of her mysterious ways, always keeping things from him, refusing to allow him into her thoughts, and so he persisted. "Olivia?"

"You want children?" She asked, softly, "With me?"

Tom frowned thoughtfully. "Well… I never really thought about before. I assumed once married we would start a family, I suppose. That is the general idea of things, is it not?"

Olivia bit her lip and turned away again, distracting herself with the few dishes left in the sink. "You want me to be a mother?" She asked, more to herself than anything.

He stared at her a moment, confused by her reaction. Why did she seem so shocked by this? Tom had imagined them settled with a family. Perhaps three or four little ones running around, and with her small cousins present he had found himself thinking about this more often. He could not imagine that any woman would not want children, and was certain Olivia would be a fine mother, why this reserve?

"Well, not at this moment of course, but eventually, yes. I imagined us having children together. What's wrong?" Tom carefully approached her, putting an arm around her and holding her from behind, feeling the stress in her shoulders and back.

"I… I don't think I want children, Tom." She admitted, refusing to turn a meet his eyes, setting a dried dish on the counter with care.

Tom was stunned and blinked at her statement, slightly shaken. "You… you don't want children?" He repeated. "Why not?" He asked innocently.

She crossed her arms, defensively, hugging herself tightly, and shoving away from him again, her eyes downcast. "I can't raise them. I don't know how."

"Olivia…" Tom attempted to collect her into an embrace once more, only to be shoved away. "I imagine it's more of an instinct, dear."

Olivia snorted, a bitter sort of laugh, "Oh yeah, because my mother had **_great _**maternal instincts herself." Her tone was sharpening, and Tom knew her temper was beginning to flare. "Just like my grandmother was such a great role model, along with my own father and that bastard of a step-father." She slammed down a dish, the sarcasm in her voice cutting like a knife through the air. "Tom, is it too much to ask that I break that cycle? I couldn't expose a child to that. I do **NOT **want to risk it! Don't make me." She warned, her eyes suddenly narrow with anger as she moved, refusing to meet his eyes still and her voice cold and bitter, so very bitter.

Tom watched her in shock, unsure what to say and merely letting her slam about the kitchen in a rage. She retrieved her dinner out of the microwave and slammed it on the table in a huff, sitting down. Then her composure broke and she buried her head in her hands a moment, her shoulders shaking in silent tears. It was heartbreaking. She was struggling against something and he so badly wanted to help but could not.

Slowly, he knelt beside her chair, looking into her face imploringly and wiping the tears from her cheek. "What happened to you, my love?" He asked softly. "What has caused you so much pain that you will not risk having children for fear of hurting them?"

Olivia raised her head a moment, moving her hands away from her face to look into Tom's loving and kind eyes. For a moment her walls seemed to crumble and he could plainly see all the hurt and pain that had been pushed away for so many years, leaving a vulnerable and shattered young woman who just wanted someone to love and protect her. Then as suddenly as they were gone, the walls she had built up around herself reappeared and her eyes went from helpless to cold and bitter once more. She jerked away from him again, turning back to her food and stirring it pointlessly.

"None of your business." She snapped harshly.

Tom stood again, unsure how to proceed, suddenly he was frustrated and angry with her. "It **_is _**my business, Olivia, **_you _**are my business!" He raised his voice, his tone becoming harder than he would have liked. "Why won't you let me help you?" He demanded.

"Because I don't **_want _**your help!" Olivia shot up quickly from her chair, spilling her water but not seeming to care. "I am so sick of people who don't know shit about me and my life trying to help me!" She was angry, angrier than he had ever seen her, and she suddenly seized up the glass from the table and threw it to the floor with a shattering crash. **_"I JUST WANT TO MOVE ON!" _**She shouted, her face red with sudden rage and her breath coming hard and fast. She was shaking in anger, trembling, and he stared at her in silence, shocked by her sudden outburst. "I just want to forget." She whispered, her rage slowly subsiding.

Tom swallowed hard, cautious to approach her but wanting to hold her and comfort her so badly. He could not help but question her sanity at this moment, the violent outburst had not been the Olivia he knew at all, more like a frightened child screaming for attention. "Oh Olivia…" He whispered, crossing the room, minding the shattered glass, to draw her into his arms once more.

However, Olivia refused to be held. Once again she jerked away from his embrace, her thoughts far away and none on him. "I'm going for a walk." She announced to herself, turning to leave the room.

"I'll come with you." Tom replied, moving to follow her, not wanting her to be walking alone in the night, particularly in her upset and shaken frame of mind.

"No." Olivia turned at the door, shaking her head, "You won't." She said coldly.

Tom froze, staring at her, afraid he might have done something to lose her forever. "I'm sorry." He said, lamely, unable to think of anything else to say.

Olivia did not reply, she simply turned and went out the door, leaving a confused and devastated Tom in her wake. He stared at the door a moment, still in shock, unable to determine what just happened here.

It was the Captain's voice that brought him out of it. "Mr. Pullings? What the devil was all that commotion about?"

Tom shook his head with a sigh, "I… I honestly do not know sir."

Jack Aubrey paused, watching the confused younger man for a moment. "I always said that woman was trouble, Mr. Pullings."

"That she is." Tom admitted, suddenly feeling very tired. "But I love her regardless." He then turned and went to the kitchen to clean up the mess she had made and put her dinner back in the refrigerator for later. When Olivia returned, she was bound to be hungry, and he would be waiting for her, as always.

* * *

Olivia went up and down the stairs over and over again, a fast paced run that strained her legs and made her out of breath. She wanted the physical activity to distract her, tormenting herself physically rather than think about the emotional issues. She knew she blew up at Tom, and she knew she did so for no good reason, but she was too proud to apologize. Besides, she really did not want to face him right now. Not until she was calmer.

With a frustrated sigh she turned and looked out over the parking lot. It had started raining. A hard steady rain, and storm clouds were billowing in. The thunder sounded distant, and Olivia counted the time between lightening and thunder crashes, estimating the time she had before the storm hit. Upon counting to seven that she had plenty of time she decided to go walk in the rain. That always seemed to calm her, and the cool water would feel good at the moment.

Olivia ran down the stairs and stepped out into the dark parking lot. She was distracted by her constant trembling, wishing to banish all unpleasant thoughts. Walking slowly across the lot she suddenly had the feeling she was not alone. She looked around and saw no one, so she paused by a red SUV, wondering whether she should continue.

Suddenly, out of nowhere someone grabbed her from behind, forcing her into the same bright red SUV she paused by. She cried out in alarm, attempting to push away, but all she managed to do was get her arm slammed in the car door. She hissed in pain, jerking her arm away, into the car as the door slammed behind her. She fumbled to open it, but not quick enough, and hissed when she attempted to move her right arm. It seemed to refuse to move properly and hurt like the dickens. The door was jammed shut. She slid across the seat in a blind panic, hoping to get out the other side but before she managed to get there the man who must have grabbed her slid in.

It was Gary, grinning at her, it was not a friendly smile, but a possessive one, letting her know that he now had her and there was little chance of escape. "Hey baby." He leaned across the seat to kiss her and she jerked away, pressing herself against the door, getting as far from him as possible.

"Get away from me!" She snapped, cradling her sore arm and glaring daggers at him. She knew the situation was bad, and she cursed herself for dropping her guard.

"Don't be like that, doll, you know you're my girl." He grabbed her left arm, pulling her to him, knocking her right against the dash and causing her an extreme shot of pain.

"I am **_NOT _**your girl." She replied, struggling to break free. "I will **_NEVER _**be your girl! Leave us alone!"

His eyes darkened, and Olivia shuddered with fear, knowing that look very well. She tried to push away but the pain in her right arm was dizzying, she could not tell if it was her arm or fear that made her feel sick. His grip on her left was tight, leaving fingernail marks on her delicate skin. "It's that other man isn't it? That English guy you've been hanging around? I've seen you with him. God, Livia, you are such a dirty little **_slut!_**" He swung his arm back, striking her hard across the face.

Olivia fell silent, knowing that anything she said right now would just lead to Gary becoming more angry. The pain in her arm was unbearable and she scanned out the window desperate to see someone who could help her. She glanced in the rearview and thought she saw someone, swallowing her fear she took her foot and kicked against the windshield, making as much noise as possible. **_"HELP!"_**

Gary slapped his free hand over her mouth, trying to silence her. "Shut up. Shut up right now." He commanded in a low, dangerous tone.

Olivia however, ignored this, continuing to struggle and kick with all her strength.

It paid off, the door behind her sprung open and she fell backwards into waiting arms. It was her neighbor, Rick Apperson, quickly helping her out of the car, his jaw locked. Rick knew the situation, he had been her friend for a long time and knew how dangerous Gary was. Without hesitation he shut the door and lead the trembling Olivia up stairs. Her apartment door was locked and so Rick knocked, turning back to Olivia.

"Are you okay?" He asked, truly concerned.

Olivia nodded, still holding her arm and shaking. "I…. yeah…. I…"

"Come here, Liv." Rick quickly pulled her into a brotherly hug. "You're safe now, it'll be all right." He said, stroking her hair and trying his best to calm her down.

She was trembling, her strength and cold walls shattered at the close call and all the possibilities of what could have happened overwhelmed her. She could not bear the thought of leaving things on such bad terms with Tom. Her cheek burned where Gary had hit her and her arm throbbed something awful. Nevertheless she clung to Rick like a child, desperate for any comfort she could find.

This was the scene that Tom opened to door to find, and his initial jealous reaction was curved upon seeing the state Olivia was in. "What-?"

Without a word Rick beckoned him over and gently pried Olivia off him and turned her over to Tom. Without so much as blinking she changed from clinging to Rick to clinging desperately to Tom Pullings. Overwhelmed and surprised he stroked her back, kissing her hair, and whispering to her that everything would be fine. He looked at Rick questioningly over Olivia's head.

"Gary must have grabbed her in the parking lot." He explained softly. "I was going out to my car when I heard her screaming and trying to get away in a SUV."

Tom's jaw locked, he noticed the angry red mark on her cheek and her obvious distress. He had never seen her like this. Even when he saw her captured on the _Wilmington _she had seemed calm and controlled, but now she was completely frantic. He could stand it and was determined to make this man suffer for what he had done to her.

He gave Olivia a tight squeeze and stepped back. "Stay here." He said firmly.

"Tom, don't." She whispered, grabbing his arm. "Please, don't leave me."

He froze, torn between his desire to beat that man into a bloody pulp and Olivia's plea for him to stay with her. His eyes studied her seeing her fear plainly in her huge green eyes. He glanced at Rick, who had moved to the stairs, glancing out over the parking lot.

"He left anyway." He told Tom softly. He then patted Olivia's shoulder, "Livie-doll, need me for anything else?"

Olivia glanced back at him, offering him a weak smile before snuggling under Tom's arm as if by doing so she would be safe. "No Rick. Thanks." She looked up at Tom again, "I'm in good hands."

Rick nodded, turning to leave. Tom held Olivia tightly, concerned for her and wanting to get her inside, lock her up, and never allow her to leave simply to keep her safe. He looked over her head at her neighbor and apparent former suitor. Before he had never liked the man, finding him loud, rude, and far too forward and familiar with Olivia, however, now he saw this young man in a new light, as a loyal and trustworthy friend of Olivia's, and a good person. He nodded to Rick as he left, "Thank you, sir. For taking care of her."

Rick smiled, "Liv can take care of herself, she was just caught off guard is all." He went into his own apartment, shutting the door behind him, leaving them alone.

Olivia was calming down a bit. She was shaking less and was quietly leaning against him, resting her head against his chest and sniffling a bit as her tears subsided.

Tom had absolutely no idea what to do. He did not know how to comfort her or what to say, never being particularly good with words he found himself at a loss. He tightened his embrace, kissing her forehead and rocking her gently, trying to sooth her. She was more rattled than he had ever seen her and it alarmed him a great deal.

She jumped slightly when he pressed at her right arm and sucked in air with a sharp hiss. Her arm was sprained at least, if not broken, and she knew it. However, she did not want to leave Tom's arms. She wanted him to simply hold her and make the worst parts of her life disappear, blinded by the best.

However, he noticed her jump and pulled back slightly to look at her. "Olivia, are you hurt?" He asked.

She shrugged a bit. "My arm is a bit sore, that's all."

Tom looked at her right arm, seeing it swelling before his eyes and turning a horrible shad of red, blue, and purple. "It looks awful. Should I fetch the Doctor?"

"No." Olivia refused adamantly. "Not now."

Tom was about to argue, but she looked so terribly pathetic and small at the moment and he could not bring himself to do so. "Come inside, dear, you are soaked." He said, indicating her dripping clothes and hair.

She nodded, allowing him to lead her inside. Jack Aubrey looked up from his ice cream as the entered, confused by the pale and quiet Miss Corin that was clinging to Tom like a child. He raised an eyebrow and started to ask but Tom gave him a discreet shake of the head and he closed his mouth again, offering only a simple greeting instead and retreating to the kitchen. Tom led her back to the room he shared with Blakeney, grabbing her a towel as they went by the bathroom.

Olivia took it gladly, drying herself quickly and setting it down so she could sit on the futon without getting it too wet. Tom sat next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders and watching her with concern. They sat in silence a moment, Tom having no idea what to say but not wanting to leave her alone.

Finally she spoke in a soft whisper, "I'm sorry, Tom."

He stared at her in confusion. "Whatever for, sweetness?"

"I shouted at you earlier, and was unfairly cross. You did not deserve to be treated like that, and I don't know what came over me." She looked up at him again with her beautiful green eyes glistening with unshed tears. "And I'm sorry for it."

"Oh Olivia, all is forgiven without question." He kissed her, again and again, as if to chase away her sorrow and pain through kisses. However, he noticed how she cringed when he so much as brushed her arm, and pulled back, worried. "Dear, your arm is a most unnatural color."

"It's probably sprained or something. He slammed it in the car door." She shrugged slightly, as if it were nothing.

"And this?" He brushed her cheek, a fresh bruise forming.

"What do you think, Tom? He hit me of course!" She offered him a weak smile, resting her head on his shoulder.

Tom's jaw clenched in anger and he looked away, furious with himself for not being their to protect her. "Olivia, I swear to you he will not get away with this. He will not lay a hand on you again, so help me God."

Olivia stared at him a moment, somber and quiet. Then with a sigh she curled up against him again, keeping her right arm still and free from pressure as he held her close. "I love you." She said softly. "Please don't leave."

Tom looked down at the woman in his arms quizzically, wondering if there was more behind that statement than there appeared to be. He kissed her again, gently and sweetly, "I swear to you, Olivia, I will never leave you. As long as you will have me, I will stay at your side, your husband to the end."

She sighed, seemingly satisfied with his declaration of devotion to her. "He won't catch me off-guard like that again." She said, her usual confidence and strength returning to her voice. "I'll be more careful now, and ready next time."

"You are safe now, love." He told her, stroking her hair. "Safe." He repeated. "I swear it."

Olivia smiled slightly, and closed her eyes. She was exhausted, he could tell, and so he moved her to lie down on the futon, moving the covers to put her to bed, like he would a child. She curled up among the blankets and pillows, careful of her sore right arm and cheek.

Tom leaned down and kissed her, moving to leave so she could sleep. However, Olivia caught his hand and gave it a small tug. He turned to look at her, wondering what she was to ask.

"Stay." She instructed.

He hesitated, wondering if this request was a more intimate request as well. "Olivia, you're hurt."

She laughed a bit, pulling on his hand again and bringing him back to a sitting position at the edge of the futon. "I don't mean **_that_**. My arm hurts and I'm hardly in the mood." She then sighed, looking up at him with pleading eyes. "I just want you to stay while I sleep. To hold me and make me feel safe, and loved."

She looked so helpless and innocent at that moment that he could not help but give in to her request. He kicked off his shoes and socks wordlessly, and laid down beside her, bringing her into his arms. She felt so nature there. Like a missing puzzle piece at last finding its perfect spot.

"You are loved, my Olivia." He told her, kissing her once more as she rested her head on his chest. "Now sleep, and I will stay."

Olivia nodded, her eyes closing and she soon drifted off into a restless sleep. Exhausted by all the drama and confusion he soon drifted off too without realizing it. However, he was woken from his sleep by a whimper from Olivia. He opened his eyes and looked down at her, she was curled up with him, but she was shifting a bit, tossing with troubled dreams. Her expression was far from relaxed and she looked so very troubled. Tom glanced at the clock, seeing it was well after midnight. He wondered where Blakeney was and then realized with a slight blush that upon seeing the two of them in bed together the lad most likely found another place to sleep. He wondered if he should explain the situation and assure them that nothing happened, but then pushed the worry aside. They had done nothing wrong, and Olivia needed him.

She let out a little gasp and whimpered again and Tom frowned, tightening his hold on her. He wanted to know what troubled her from her childhood, he wanted to understand what dreams haunted her, but he knew she would never tell him. Olivia seemed to be unable to face this unseen enemy awake, despite the way it tormented her in her sleep. Tom sighed, watching her troubled dreams, suddenly she jerked awake, sitting up quickly, putting weight on her sore arm and cried out in pain.

Tom immediately sat up too, putting his arms around her. "Sh… sweetheart, it's all right." He assured her. "It was a dream, dearest, nothing more."

She licked her lips, breathing heavily as she tried to push whatever dream was haunting her from her mind. She looked at her arm again, studying it carefully in the darkness. "My arm really hurts." She commented, her brow creasing slightly.

"Should I wake the Doctor?" Tom asked, concerned.

She shook her head, "No, I'll go to the hospital tomorrow morning first thing. Kate can drop me off on her way to work and Mark can pick me up as I don't think I can drive." She lay back down, careful of her arm and held out her good hand to him.

He took it, also cautious of that arm, which looked worse than ever, as did the bruise on her face. "If you're sure?"

"I am." Olivia yawned, sleepily. "If you can get the girls up and out? Their parents are coming to pick them up tomorrow morning and I doubt I'll be back in time."

Tom paused, considering this, and nodded. "Of course, dear." He kissed her again. "Now go back to sleep."

Olivia closed her eyes, more than willing to do so. "Aye sir."

He smiled, holding her to him again, considering the facts of tomorrow morning. Surely Olivia's Aunt Alida knew about her childhood. Perhaps she would tell him what had happened that haunted her so. Seeing her so afraid and helpless, yet so unwilling to bring him inside those walls she had built up around herself was killing him, and Tom vowed to ask in the morning. Perhaps she could provide him with the answers to the mysteries of Olivia's sometimes-unpredictable behavior, but for now, he merely focused on seeing that she slept undisturbed and safe in his arms until morning.

* * *

A/N: Wow. So this is a fast update considering it's me. Everyone should be very impressed. It might be because I'm teaching high school and when I get home I'm too tired to move but don't want to nap and so I write. Anyway, yes Olivia is messed up. In case you have not noticed the idea of having children scares the crap out of her. Poor dear. Haha and when I slam her with drama, I go all out! First she blows up at Tom and freaks out, then she gets grabbed out of the parking lot and forced into a car with the scary stalker man, hurts her poor little arm, but Tom was sweet and that was okay, but then she had a nightmare and her arm hurts, and that's sad. And yes, Tom called her sweetness.

In case you have not noticed the book Tom read to the cousins was _Green Eggs and Ham_ by the wonderful Dr. Seuss. I copied the last two pages directly from the book. Haha it pays off to have a mother who is a preschool teacher and therefore has kept every little kid book we ever owned. Besides, you need that book! It's a classic!

**_Anyana:_** Wow I feel special that you take time out of your schedule to read my story! You sound like quite a busy person! Anyway, this chapter wasn't so much fun. I really swing from one end to the other in these chapters don't I? One minutes it's funny… then I do drama and serious…. Then back to funny. Though I think Jack walking around with ice cream and eating all of it is pretty funny. Personally I prefer the funny but there has to be drama too because I am in fact an angstoholic! As for commencement band I actually enjoy the waiting. I go home with one load of junk, and then I come back (partially because I get gas money for that) and then I get three days of nothing, which never happens when I'm home and I enjoy that! It's relaxing, and gives me a chance to write. Anyway, m'dear thanks for the lovely review and I hoped you enjoyed the update! Glad I made you laugh.

**_Miss Flossy:_ **Haha yay playing Luke Skywalker with the paper rolls! My sister and I used to attack each other with paper rolls all the time back in the day… oh wait… that was this Christmas! This story is the longest I've ever written already, and it's not even half-way done! As for these two finally getting together… well… they have a lot of issues to work through first methinks. How are they going to be separated again? Not telling! Will I kill anyone off? Not telling! Some elements of Olivia's past are soon to be revealed… maybe. I don't know I haven't written it yet so I'll reveal as much as I think the character would reveal. But next chapter I am sure I'll reveal something at least! Pullings is behaving and says for Mowett to stop his whining and suck it up. Hope you're still employed! Or if not, have moved on to greener pastures! Gosh… that sounds like you died. I mean greener pastures as in a new and better job…. Anyway! As always thanks for the review! Now you have to update because I did right? Right? Haha I want to know what happens next!

**_ClaireRickman: _**Of course you may take Stephen to your parents! I take Tom to my parents every winter and summer break! He comes where I go because I have him addicted to ice cream. Thanks for waiting on the chapter! As a treat I posted this one early just for you guys. Hope you enjoyed!

**_ArcherofDarkness and Callie:_** Haha I agree, Tom in make-up is hilarious! And playing pirates is even better! Haha and Tom's comment at the end, well Olivia's a bad influence on him. Hope you enjoyed the update m'dear! Happy summer and thanks for the lovely review.

_**Sarah:**_ Haha welcome back! I know all about computer problems. Stupid hard-drive! I'm glad you love this story. The pirates chapter is my favorite too, though the swing scene is sweet too. I'm happy you enjoyed them too! This story is already 20 pages longer than anything I've ever written before and I think I'm about 1/3 of the way through maybe… so yeah it won't be over for awhile yet! As for Tom getting laid, you'll have to review for several more chapters methinks because Olivia has hurt her arm and that injury might um…. restrict fun time shall we say? Thanks for this review and I'm glad you like the story!

_**Kaytee:**_ I'm keeping it up m'dear! I promise! Look! I even posted a chapter way sooner than normal! Thanks for the review.

_**Mary Anne Talbot:**_ Your English is wonderful, no need to apologize. Honestly if you had not mentioned it I would have just thought English was your native language and you just had one or two typos or something. As for Olivia's Hungarian relatives, I'm not entire sure where that idea came from anymore. It was a long time ago, but I think it was because I was sitting in my World Region geography class and was thinking of ideas for this story (not paying attention to the professor… but hey I got like 112 in that class or something ridiculous like that… I do not think I really needed to pay attention there) and he was talking about Europe and when I tuned back in he was saying something about Hungary and I though "Hm… Olivia's grandmother yelling at poor Tom in Hungarian and him having no idea what she is saying would be funny." I don't know a word of Hungarian myself, so expect all that to be in Tom's point of view! Hope I'm not disappointing you there for not having some wonderful reason as to why the relatives are Hungarian. It was really left to the fate of whatever country Dr Hardin was talking about when I looked up. Had I looked up ten minutes later she would have been Romanian! Hope you enjoyed the update. She's a little crazy. Crazy people are fun don't you think? Thanks for reviewing and hope you enjoyed the update.

**_ElfWarrior20:_** LOL okay now that is funny. I made someone confuse their mother! I'm so proud! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter and hope you liked the update even though it's not as funny! Thanks for reviewing!

_**Norma Jean the Dancing Machine:**_ I'm glad you serious like this story! And I loved writing Chapter Ten so I'm happy that it's your favorite. I'll keep writing if you keep reading. Thanks for the review!

_**Et-spiritus-sancti:**_ Wow I feel like I should take a bow or something. Though I can't claim all the credit for the pirates idea. Elessar King was a partner in crime here. Haha though Tom's suggestive comment was a line I came up with all by myself! Olivia is such a bad influence on him! Next he'll be guttering things! As long as you people keep reviewing I feel obligated to keep writing so don't worry about me giving up quite yet! Thanks for sticking with me and enjoy the update!

_**NarfOnABiscuit:**_ I really don't know how to respond to "OO" Is that a good thing? Neutral? Bad? Ah well… the important thing is you reviewed! Thanks!

**_Gaeriel Palpatine:_** Haha poor Tom! And yet he wants to have children and she doesn't. Go figure. These chapters are way longer than what I'm used to posting, though I can't help it. I post as I write I suppose. Haha don't hold in the pee too long though m'dear! That's bad for your innards! Thanks for reviewing and hope you enjoyed the update!

**_Eldarwen999:_** Oh yes Tom did let her put make-up on him. Poor man needs to learn to say know to little girls! As for them getting drunk… well…. Olivia is a former party-girl…. Mwahahaha. Hope you enjoyed the update!

The lady of the shadows: I'm glad you thought that chapter 10 was worth the wait! If I was really mean I would make you wait a million years for this update but I felt like being nice. Thanks for the kind review, and I'm glad you think the kids are convincing. Hope the update was soon enough and I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for sticking with me dear!

Thanks for the reviews guys! I look forward to coming home after a long day of teaching to read your comments! Keep them coming or I will become depress, eat too much ice cream, and become too fat to waddle to the computer and write! Either that or I'll have to make Gary kill Olivia or Tom or someone and no one wants that… do you?

Tom: They don't want that!

Me: They might. You might annoy them.

Tom: If anyone annoys them it's Olivia and her mood swings.

Olivia: Hey!

Me: You are moody dear.

Olivia: I resent that!

Me: Oh shush up or I'll never let you guys get any.

Olivia: Shutting up.

Tom: (nods)

I've got those two trained now methinks! Well guys, thanks for reading! Until next time stay out of trouble and have fun! Even though the two often conflict!


	12. Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

"I can't find Brownie!" Katalin cried, running into the kitchen and attaching herself to Tom's leg, looking pathetic and annoyed.

Tom was about to tell her to look under Olivia's bed when a shout from the other room distracted him.

"**_OW!_** Stephen, for the love of God stop poking my arm!" Olivia shouted for the third time that morning.

"If you would just sit still.." The Doctor argued.

"Leave it alone! I'm going to the hospital for it!"

"I do not see why. I am more than capable-"

"**_STEPHEN! SHUSH!"_**

Tom looked down at Katalin, who was giggling at her cousin's annoyance. "Do you think I should go in there?" He asked.

"I wouldn't." The little girl replied. "Livia's in a bad mood."

That was true. She had gone to find Kate to take her to the hospital only to find Lannie Aubrey in her place. Kate had gone home to pick up some things and Lannie was back for the start of the semester and would be happy to take Olivia to the hospital. She just had to get dressed. However, this had not pleased Olivia, who claimed Lannie was the scariest driver she knew and would be more likely to come home with more injuries rather than healed ones, but she had no other choice and agreed to wait for Lannie.

"**_STEPHEN MATURIN I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU TOUCH MY ARM AGAIN I WILL KILL YOU FIVE TIMES BEFORE YOU HIT THE GROUND!"_**

Tom cringed, "Perhaps I should go before she hurts someone."

Katalin giggled, "Better you than me!" She then ran off to find her bear.

Tom found Olivia giving Stephen the darkest glare he had ever seen. If looks could kill the Doctor would have been dead seven times over. She was a rather pitiful sight that morning, the bruise on her face was a nasty shade of greenish brown and black, though she assured him it looked worse than it was and she bruised easily. Her arm looked simply awful and he knew it pained her. She could barely move it and when she did she either cried out or cringed and muttered under her breath. The Doctor believed it to be broken and Tom fussed over her until she gave him a dirty look and told him to knock it off. Olivia, when injured, despised being fussed over, and insisted it was "just a broken arm." Apparently as a rock-climbing enthusiast she had experienced several broken limbs in her lifetime and was none too concerned with this one.

She looked up as Tom appeared in the room, "Tom, keep that man away from me." She demanded, plopping on the sofa and turning on the television in a huff. She was also angry because she had to call the bar and tell her employer she could not make it to work tonight. Tom had insisted that she take the night off on account of her arm being so swollen and sore she could hardly be expected to lift a glass. They had argued over this, Olivia insisting she needed the money and Tom insisting she needed to rest. It had ended with him threatening to lock her in the apartment and tie her to the bed, which got a laugh and rather cheeky response from Olivia, but had been effective in closing the argument, but she was still in a sour mood in general.

"Yes dear." He replied, "Doctor, do stay away from Olivia. She dislikes being poked and prodded immensely."

"Damn right." Olivia grumbled.

"Awwwwwww…." Maria had entered the room unnoticed, and she climbed on the sofa with a gleam in her eyes. "Livia said damn!"

"Shouldn't you be packing?" Olivia asked the girl, her tone irritated and sharp.

"Finished." Maria replied, not catching her cousin's tone and ill humor. "I'm bored!" She complained.

"Then go help your sister." She told her, wanting to get rid of the girl.

Maria made a face of distaste. "I don't wanna." She groaned.

At that point, Tom intervened, for Olivia looked about a second away from killing the girl. She was not in the mood for whining children. In fact she was not in the mood for much of anything at the moment.

"Why don't you go find a book for me to read to you?" He suggested.

Maria seemed to like this idea and jumped up again, "Okay!" She then scampered away like a rabbit out of the room.

Olivia sighed, rubbing her head with her left hand, fighting a headache. "Thanks Tom." She said. "I'm not in the best frame of mind right now."

He was about to agree with her but thought better of it. Actually he did not quite know what to say to keep her from screaming at him and so he struggled for words, trying to think of what would be the right thing to say.

Luckily, he was saved for at that moment Lannie Aubrey burst into the apartment. "S'up guys?" She bounced in without a care in the world.

"Lannie, will you promise me you will drive like a normal person and not like a maniac?" Olivia asked, her eyes narrowed in suspicion, not trusting her friend.

"Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed." Lannie commented, not a bit fazed by Olivia's bad mood. "And I'm a good driver."

Olivia snorted, "Compared to who? A blind man?"

"Did you see that blind farmer on Oprah who drove a tractor?" She asked casually. "That was amazing!"

Olivia rolled her eyes and looked at Tom with a withering expression. "Shoot me. Shoot me now." She said sarcastically.

"Sorry Livs, they don't let me play with fire arms." Lannie replied happily.

"Gee, I wonder why?" Olivia shot back.

"Hey, not all of us were born and bred with a shotgun in our hands, Livie. We can't all be West Virginia girls." She grinned, quite proud of her joke.

"I'll have you know, Alanna Aubrey, that I wasn't allowed near guns until I was sixteen and my stepfather took me hunting." Olivia shot back, swinging her legs around the sofa and getting to her feet.

"Oh, was he the car-mechanic in the NRA?" Lannie asked.

"Yep. Nice guy. Too bad Mama decided to sleep with that golf pro at the resort." Olivia mused.

"Girl, you need to sell your Mama's story to Jerry Springer." Lannie teased. "At least profit from your messed up mother."

Olivia laughed, her back and forth with Lannie making her mood improve slightly. "Lord knows it too."

Tom was completely confused by this exchange and looked at Olivia curiously. He wanted to question her but had no idea where to even begin.

"Let's go, Lan, before I lose my courage completely." Olivia said, grabbing her purse with her good arm. "I'll be back." She told Tom.

"Hopefully medicated." Lannie teased, blocking as Olivia swung her purse at her head.

"Let's go, smartass." Olivia said, heading out the door.

"Bye guys!" Lannie called as she skipped after Olivia and slammed the door behind her, ever in a cheerful mood.

Tom watched them go, confused. It seemed Lannie Aubrey was better informed of Olivia's past than he ever would be. She would not let him in and he could not figure out why she shut him out. However, today he was determined to find something out from her Aunt, now more than ever.

"Tom! Are you coming?" Maria called.

He turned-off the television and set the remote on the table. "Coming Maria!" He replied, heading off down the hall to see to his baby-sitting duties.

A knock at the door an hour later sent both girls running, nearly knocking poor Tom winding as they pushed by him in the hall. He followed, trying to make sure the girls did not open the door to a stranger, although he was almost sure it was their mother.

* * *

"Mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy!" Katalin threw the door open, ducking her sister's arm.

Olivia's Aunt caught both her daughters in a hug, a short middle aged man with spectacles stood behind her, getting the second wave of hugs from the excited little girls. This must be their father. Tom stood back watching the family a moment, slightly relieved to see the energetic girls go, but also a bit sorry to see them go.

Alida stood up from hugging Katalin, "Hello again, Tom was it?"

"Yes ma'am." Tom replied. "Olivia apologizes but she had to see the doctor for her arm." He explained her absence.

"Her arm? What'd she do this time?" Alida joked, knowing her niece was slightly clumsy at times. "Fall off a cliff?"

"Knowing Livia she fell off a cliff then got right back up and finished her climb." Her husband laughed. "Alida, I hope your niece isn't teaching our girls to be daredevils."

Maria beamed, "She taught me how to spit yesterday!"

"Who do you think taught Livia?" Alida ruffled her daughter's hair, turning back to Tom. "This is my husband, Tom, Robert. Robert, this is Olivia's boyfriend."

They shook hands, exchanging pleasantries, as Katalin pulled at her mother's shirt. "Mama, Tom's nice. Me and Maria think he should marry Livia."

The adults all laughed, Tom blushing slightly embarrassed. Maria immediately launched into retelling their pirates game to her father, with Katalin hopping up and down, anxious to add her side of the story. Tom turned to Olivia's Aunt, "I was wonder if I might have a word with you alone, ma'am? About your niece?"

Alida nodded, not at all surprised. "Sure, Tom." She glanced at her chattering daughters. "Rob, dear, will you take the girls out to the playground for a bit?"

"Sure." He took both girls by the hands. "Come on ladies, and tell me all about your week."

The girls took this as permission to both talk at once, and immediately began shouting all at once, following as he lead them out the door and down the stairs. Alida smiled fondly at them before turning back to Tom. "What was it you wanted to speak to me about, Tom?" She asked kindly, stepping into the apartment.

Tom sighed heavily, unsure of where to begin. "Won't you have a seat ma'am?"

"Please, Tom, ma'am is my mother, call me Alida." She said, settling comfortably on the sofa. "Now, what is it?"

"Well…" Tom hesitated, "I am afraid I'm at a bit of a loss with your niece. Something troubles her, and I have no idea what."

"And she won't tell you?" Alida asked, knowingly. "Though she has nightmares that drive her to tears?"

"Exactly!" Tom was almost relieved that her Aunt seemed to know exactly what was going on.

"And you want to know if I know why?" She continued, very calmly and coolly.

Tom nodded, "I dislike having to ask you instead of Olivia like this, but she will not tell me and I am very concerned."

Alida sighed, leaning back in her seat. "She doesn't talk about things like this. She's always been like that. Even as a little girl she never spoke about it. In fact, when she first came to live with me she did not speak at all for two months straight."

He could not imagine Olivia ever being silent. She could talk about everything and nothing in one breath, and for her to go silent something truly terrible must have happened. He stared at her in disbelief, trying to fathom what horrors could be in Olivia's past. "Why? What happened?"

"It's a long story Tom. And even I do not know everything. I'm sure there are things that she hasn't told me but what can you do? I've tried everything, but she's repressed so much so far down…" She sighed again. "Olivia was abused as a child, physically and emotionally, and I suspect, though I've never known for sure, that there was some sexual abuse. She's had a rough time of it, Tom, and quite frankly I'm amazed she's turned out as well as she has."

They were silent for a time as Tom processed what he had learned. He hated to think of someone, anyone, hurting Olivia even though it was long ago when she was a girl. Half of him had a morbid curiosity for details of what happened, but the other half did not want to hear a word more. He cleared his throat, "Olivia is a remarkable woman." He said, unsure of what else to say.

Alida smiled slightly, "You love my niece a lot, don't you?"

"Yes ma'am, I do." Tom replied softly. "And I want to help her in anyway I can."

She nodded, "All right Tom, I'll tell you what I know." She sighed, pausing to think of where to start. "You have to understand, Tom, that my mother was once a wonderful woman, but she always was strict, and once my father died, well, she started to go down hill. Ilona, Olivia's mother, was always her favorite. She could do no wrong in her eyes, but the truth is my sister has always been, well, rather **_loose, _**if you get my meaning."

Tom nodded, understanding what was implied in her tone, and so Olivia's Aunt continued.

"She was going places, but then she met Joe Corin and managed to get pregnant with Olivia when she was seventeen, so Mama being ever insistent on propriety, insisted they get married." Alida paused to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, much like Olivia always did when she was thinking or agitated. "I probably don't have to tell you that it didn't work out. Olivia's very open about her parents' divorce, and knows her father, well, he isn't the best of characters. He and my sister were quite the match, actually." She sighed, "Anyway, Joe took off right after Daniel was born. Olivia was three or four at the time, though it probably did not faze her too much at first. Her father was always running off, just this time he didn't come back, and she was too young to really understand. A year after that, when it was clear Joe wasn't coming back and Ilona wanted to start dating again, my mother moved in with them."

"Isn't that a good thing? Wouldn't her grandmother have helped?" Tom asked, confused.

"You'd think that wouldn't you?" Alida snorted. "Seems Mama blamed Olivia for ruining her precious Ilona's life."

Tom stared at her, surprised, "But….why? What did Olivia do? She was just a child!"

"She was born, and she was the reason Ilona married Joe, and Mama didn't see it as Ilona's fault, somehow it was Olivia's. She blamed that poor girl for everything and was very hard on her. Olivia can do nothing right in her eyes, and even to this day they don't get along. Come to find out when Olivia was a little girl she used to lock her in the root cellar whenever Ilona wasn't home. She really resents the girl, and always has." Alida sighed, wiping her eyes wearily. "She was emotionally and verbally abusive to Olivia, but she never laid a hand on her more than a smack when she was misbehaving. I'm not saying that's a good thing, but unfortunately far worse things happened to Olivia. I really can't explain the relationship between Olivia and her grandmother, but I think it all starts there. She tends to blame herself for everything because she always has been blamed in the past."

"She can't possibly think any of that is her fault." Tom said, shaking his head.

"She does though, especially when she was a child. That's why I think she's taken so much abuse without telling anyone." Alida explained.

"There's more?" He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh Tom, that's not even the tip of the iceberg." She sighed, "My sister remarried for the first time a year later when Olivia was five and the guy she married was a real sleazebag. My mother moved out, and he convinced Ilona not to send Olivia to school so she could stay home and take care of her baby brother so he could sit on his ass and watch TV all day. Then when the baby would cry he would pound Olivia to a bloody pulp. No one knew this was going on because no one ever saw those kids. Daniel was never touched, not once. I think it was because Olivia would protect him by taking all the beatings herself, though maybe he didn't touch him because he was only a year old. I don't know, Tom, I didn't know any of this was going on. No one did. And Ilona would always believe that Olivia had fallen down the stairs or some other damn lie."

He stared at her steadily, gripping the side of his chair in anger, without ever having met this man or even knowing his name he hated him. "How long did this go on?"

"Two years. Until one day he beat her nearly to death and dumped what he thought was a dead body down a well near the house." She closed her eyes, chewing her lower lip, collecting her thoughts. "By all rights she should be dead, Tom. She woke up trapped in a well in a foot of water with a broken leg, arm, and several cracked ribs. Then she was down there for two days until a passing hiker heard her crying. Thank God that house is near a hiking trail. After they found her and she recovered the Bureau for Children and Families removed her from Ilona's house and put in with a foster family, but she wasn't responding well there and the social worker contacted me."

"So she came to live with you?" Tom asked, remembering what Katalin had told him earlier.

She smiled a bit, "Yes. I took her. Joe Corin refused, taking Daniel, who was nearing four, but not Olivia. He didn't want to have to worry about her court ordered therapy. There was no one else to take her, so I did. I was still in school at the time, but I managed. In fact it might have been the best thing for her. I had a professor who was doing research in childhood trauma at the time and would spend time with Olivia when I was in class. He was really helpful, and I had plenty of friends to watch her. She stayed with me for about two years. Enough time for Ilona to divorce Fred and for the courts to send him to prison for attempted murder."

"Is he still in prison?" Tom asked curiously.

Alida nodded, "Yes. He had some other crimes on the list as well, and trying to kill a kid was serious business. Poor Olivia was quite the local celebrity for a time, but for all the wrong reasons, and unfortunately I have a feeling it wasn't all over after that. My mother moved close by, and so Olivia got plenty of blame and guilt from her. Ilona's been remarried several times, and some of them haven't been bad, but some were. I've never been able to prove anything, but I'm sure Jim, another one of Ilona's husbands, was sexually abusing her when she was thirteen. Ilona only stayed married to him for a year, but towards the end Olivia ran away from home, stole her mother's car, and drove to my house in a panic. She was certain she was pregnant and scared out of her mind but wouldn't say who or how or when. Turns out her stepfather had a history of taking prono pictures of kids, and thank God Olivia wasn't pregnant though the Doctors found evidence of abuse, but for some reason or another they never charged the weasel. Inconclusive evidence or some damn thing, and the investigation was dropped. They just assumed Olivia was another teenage slut or something, but I'm sure that wasn't the case. She was scared out of her mind, and flinched if I so much as hugged her for months That's not normal behavior. Ilona only divorced him when I threatened to take bring up charges against her and have the state take Daniel. I have no idea how Olivia turned out somewhat normal and not hating all men, but I think it was because of George."

"George?" Tom raised an eyebrow, slightly pale. Everything he was hearing was horrible and he hated to think what secret she would reveal next.

To his surprised she smiled fondly. "George was another of Ilona's husband, though why he married my sister I'll never know. He was a good man, Tom, and he was great with those kids. He marred Ilona when Olivia was sixteen and unsurprisingly she was cautious at first and didn't trust him, but she warmed up to him once he gained her trust. He was the one that taught her to drive and fix cars. Even insisted she go to college and took an interest in her school activities like music, softball, swimming, everything Olivia and Daniel did he somehow managed to be there for support. Even after Ilona left him, he stayed in touch with Olivia. He's the closest thing she ever had to a father."

"No wonder she never speaks to her family." Tom mused to himself.

Alida shrugged, "Once burned…" She rose to her feet, stretching a bit. "Olivia's a very private girl, always has been. She won't talk about it with you. My recommendation is don't even try to get her to talk, wait for her. If she ever wishes to tell you something it will be on her own terms, there's not getting her to talk when she doesn't want to. Trust me, we've tried."

He hesitated a moment, then nodded slowly. He had no idea what to say and was completely overwhelmed by this new information about his beloved's past. She had been through so much it seemed, and it pained him to think of her trapped in a loveless and desperate home. He did not like to think of her as unhappy or in pain and raged against the thought of anyone ever hurting her. She always seemed strong, yet beneath her hard and occasionally icy exterior was a vulnerable and fragile girl. He was beginning to see that more and more and felt a fierce need to protect and shelter her from the world.

"Well, I should go get my husband and girls and be off. Tell Olivia I'm sorry I missed her. Why did she need to go to the hospital again?" She asked, heading towards the door and gathering her daughters' things.

"She fell and hurt her arm last night. It was rather swollen so Lannie was taking her to see a doctor." Tom replied, giving the rehearsed story Olivia concocted for him to tell her Aunt. She did not want them to worry about her and refused to tell her about Gary and the whole situation no matter how much Tom tried to convince her to the contrary.

Alida to Tom's surprise merely laughed, "She is such a klutz, and she's a daredevil which makes things far worse. Whenever she falls she gets up even more determined to succeed, the most stubborn creature I've ever met when she puts her mind to it. That's probably what keeps her going." She gathered up the last of the bags and tucked Maria's stuffed bear under her arm. "I hope knowing all this helps, Tom."

"Yes, ma'am, thank you." He rose also, helping her with her daughters' luggage and carrying it down to the car with her.

Maria and Katalin came flying across the parking lot, followed by their father who called for them to slow down.

"Are we leaving, Mommy?" Katalin asked.

"Yes dear, tell Tom thank you for watching you." She replied, loading the bags in the back of the car.

Katalin hopped over and gave him a tight hug. "Thank you!"

Maria joined them, "Thank you, Tom!" She chirped.

"You're welcome, girls." He smiled in spite of the gloomy feeling that had fallen over him, and returned their hug.

"Come on you two, we need to get going." Their mother announced rushing the children into the car and thanking Tom once more.

He stood and watched as they drove away, wondering how long Olivia would be. He had no idea what he would say to her when she returned. More and more he wanted nothing but to hold her and promise her everything in her life would be nothing but good from that point forward. With a sigh he turned and went back up to the apartment. He had no idea how he ought to react to this, and merely sat down at the kitchen table waiting, lost in his thoughts.

"Lannie, do you **_ever_** shut up?" He heard Olivia call on the stairs outside the apartment. They were pounding their way up the steps, quite vocally arguing.

"You know, my Dad asked me that same question once." Lannie replied.

Olivia said something he could not hear and they both laughed. The door opened and he heard her shout her goodbyes to Lannie, promising to see her later.

"Hey, where is everyone?" Olivia called.

"In here." He replied, standing and waiting for her to come into the kitchen.

Olivia appeared, her arm in a blue sling and the bruise on her face still shining, but she looked in a better mood and was smiling. However her smile turned to a slight frown when she noticed the way Tom was staring at her. "What's wrong?" She asked, confused.

"Olivia…" He started, but stopped, simply crossing the room and pulling her into a gentle hug, mindful of her arm.

She was still confused, however. "What?" She asked again. "My arm? It's not even broken, turns out it's just a sprain. The sling is just to keep me from using it for about three weeks. After they doped me up with pain killers I'm feeling really good."

"No, it's not that." He kissed her, still holding her close.

"Then what?" Olivia looked up at him, a small smirk playing at her lips, "Shesh, Tom, you're acting like I died or something."

Tom hesitated, "I… I spoke with your Aunt."

Olivia raised an eyebrow, "About?"

"She told me about your stepfather… what he did…" He tightened his hold on her, never wanting to let go again.

"Which one?" She asked, not at all fazed.

"He tried to kill you, Olivia!" He exploded, the shock giving way to anger.

"Oh, that one." She noted, with a little laugh.

"How can you make light of this? You could have died!" He asked incredulously.

She pulled back slightly in order to look him in the eye. "I have to, Tom. If I dwelled on all the nasty things in my life I would have gone crazy a long time ago. It was nothing, really."

"That's certainly nothing." Tom gently outlined her face with his finger, knowing full well if one thing had occurred differently, and if she were of a weaker constitution, he would have never even known this wonderful woman. "I am so sorry, Olivia."

"I don't want you to feel sorry for me, Tom." She said calmly. "I just want to live my life, keep it as normal as possible, you know?"

He regarded her carefully, knowing that her life could hardly be considered normal. Instead he took her hand, brushing her hair out of her eyes. "How can I help?" He asked, softly.

"Help?" Olivia gave a soft laugh. "Tom, you can't fight demons like this. You just learn to live with them."

Tom sighed, turning away for a moment to collect himself, leaning against the counter and staring at the cabinet, trying to understand her but failing miserably. "I feel so powerless." He muttered, to himself more than anything.

Olivia went to him, standing beside him and taking his hand, looking at him with nothing but love. "But you do help though. You make me feel safe, and I trust you, which is saying a lot coming from me." She rested her head against his arm, "I love you."

He turned, kissing her gently, so afraid of causing her pain from her injuries. "I swear to you that no one will ever hurt you like that again, Olivia."

Her brow creased, "What else did my aunt tell you?"

Tom sighed again. He hated talking about these matters, especially ones of such a deeply personal nature. "She told me…" He trailed off, unable to say it.

"She told you about Jim didn't she?" Olivia whispered, quietly retreating to sit down at the kitchen table.

Tom merely nodded, wordlessly moving to sit across from her. The beatings and near death as a child did not seem to effect her as much as this. He watched as she stared at her hands, as if lost in her thoughts.

She looked up suddenly, her eyes full of tears. "I was still a kid, you know, but I knew what he did to me, and what could have come of it." She closed her eyes, her lower lip trembling. "I remember, I used to wake up and he'd be watching me. He said it was because I was pretty, and night after night he would be there. Then one night, I woke up, and he was…" She trailed off, tears falling down her cheeks, but she continued, determined to get it out. "He was touching himself. He said I was too pretty, it was my fault because I tempted him. Then he told me if I told anyone what he did he would hurt Danny. He knew I had to protect Danny. He knew that was the only way he could ever threaten me. Before I knew it he was on me, in me, everywhere, and I couldn't get away. I did everything he told me to do because I was scared to death he would hurt Danny, and I was so ashamed, Tom, so ashamed. I couldn't remember being beaten nearly to death as a child, but this… this was different… I remember every second…" Her shoulders began to shake, and she buried her face in her hands, silently sobbing.

Finally, he could not take anymore. He quickly went to her, wrapping her arms around her and holding her tightly. "Sh… Olivia… it's all right now." He kissed the top of her head as she buried her tear soaked face in his chest. "You don't have to say anymore. I do not need an explanation."

She sniffled, leaning against him as he sheltered her from the world. "How can you love me?" She asked, her voice trembling.

"You did nothing wrong, Olivia." He told her earnestly. "You were still a child and completely innocent. Your stepfather should be ashamed, not you." He kissed her forehead again. "I love you, Olivia, because you can make me laugh. I feel at ease with you and find myself saying things to you that I never thought possible. Besides," He stroked her hair soothingly, "I do not need a reason to love you, I just do, and I always will. It's as simple as that."

She smiled slightly, looking up at him with loving eyes. "Well, now you know my secrets. I'm at an extreme disadvantage here." She teased in an attempt to lighten the mood. She hated dwelling on her past, and was back to deflecting the conversation to a new topic.

Tom laughed, knowing she wanted to change the subject and thankful she was calming down and returning to her usual light-hearted self. "Well, shall I tell you a secret of my own then?"

"Oh please do, Mr. Pullings." Olivia grinned mischievously. "And it had better be good."

Tom paused, thinking of something to tell her. "Did I tell you I was afraid of going aloft as a young midshipman?"

"You?" Olivia raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you use to climb trees as a boy?"

"Yes, well, trees hardly move, now do they?" He asked, blushing slightly. "I was terrified of going aloft for years, and still get rather queasy in foul weather to be honest."

"Aw… poor baby." She teased, kissing him lightly.

Tom pouted slightly, "Are you mocking me?"

"No, of course not. And don't pout. I hate it when you pout." Olivia said.

"Oh really?" He tried not to grin and offered her a fake pout.

She laughed, kissing him again. "Now you're trying to make me feel bad."

"Yes, I am. Is it working?" He asked, innocently.

"Maybe." Olivia kissed him again, moving to wrap her arms around his neck only to find her right arm was inhibited by her sling. "Damn it. This is going to be a problem."

He put his arms around her waist, mindful of her arm. "Does it hurt much, dear?"

She shrugged, "Only when I press on it really. It's not so bad now that I have some painkillers in me. In fact I'm kind of hungry, is it lunchtime yet?"

"Yes, it's just a bit after noon." Tom replied, giving her a fond look. "The others have gone for a walk. Why don't you watch the television while I make you something to eat? You should rest your arm."

"That's sweet of you, dear." She said. "But only if you make something for yourself and watch it with me. I won't have much free time pretty soon and want to spend as much time as I can with you, okay?"

"Of course." He kissed her sweetly, and then lightly shoved her out the door. "Now go relax. I'll take care of everything."

"Yes sir." She replied promptly turning on her heels and leaving to curl up on the sofa, waiting for him to bring her the meal.

She did not have to wait long. Tom had made soup the night before and reheated it on the stove, fixing some fast and easy toasted sandwiches to go with it. Olivia found it difficult to eat soup with her left hand, and he teased her about being so messy. He offered to help, but she adamantly refused, determined to do it herself.

Afterwards it was barely an hour until she fell asleep, exhausted and giving in to the side effects of her strong medication the doctor had given her for the pain in her arm. She slept quietly, her head resting against his shoulder. He watched her sleep, unwilling to wake her, knowing she needed what sleep she could get. She looked so peaceful, so serene. Her aunt's words echoed in his mind as he watched her, and he tried to imagine what it must have been like for her, what it was still like, reliving those awful things in her dreams. At that moment she looked as helpless as he felt, unable to fight an enemy he could neither see nor touch. All he could do was watch her sleep, hold her close, and pray. Pray she was having good dreams.

* * *

A/N: Okay, yeah I know that chapter sucked. It was so hard to write and I had no idea what I was going to do with Olivia's past. I'm disappointed with myself and apologize for that chapter. But it had to be brought out in the open somehow and Olivia wasn't going to talk, so there we go. Nosy yet well meaning Aunt tells all! Hope it wasn't too over the top. I wanted her nice and screwed up and have seen one too many episodes of Judging Amy…. I love that show! Also, have you guys noticed how often Olivia falls asleep on Tom? I just realized that. Good thing she doesn't snore or drool.

I couldn't help myself on Stephen getting yelled at over poking Olivia's sore arm. A little bit of fun before jumping into the big mean boring nasty mental angst side of things.

Coming Soon! A chapter focusing on everyone's favorite little middie! Blakeney! Whoop whoop whoop! Blake-ney! Blake-ney! Blake-ney!

**_Gaeriel Palpatine_**: Haha well I'm glad I gave you ideas. Just make sure after the ice cream you guys get warm… I'm sure that won't be a problem…. Have fun and go nuts!

**_Mary Anne Talbot: _**Yes I know where Hungary is. I'm quite good at geography actually. Though the students I've tutored are horrible. They thought England was Japan… it was rather sad… Anyway, yes Gary is very evil and he has lots more evilness coming in the future. I hope this is still your favorite story! I had a hard time with this chapter and deciding just how crazy to make Olivia's family. I think I've watched one too many episodes of that show with all the abused kids in family court. Hope you survived this update m'dear! Thanks for reading and being so great!

**_Anyana: _**Haha ice cream is ALWAYS appropriate when reading this story! I loved the Ode to Ice Cream there. That was brilliant. Yeah Tom's taking care of Olivia. He's such a sweetheart and she's so messed up. I've really gone the extra mile messing up her life! I'm so mean! I think if I don't come up with some really happy chapters pretty soon Olivia may sue for character abuse. Poor girl. Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's a weird one. Thanks for the ode and the review!

**_Norma Jean the Dancing Machine: _**Yes! Green Eggs and Ham is the best book ever! Whoo! Another Seuss fan! Olivia opened up a bit in this chapter, but only after the Aunt spilled the beans. She's one messed up cookie that girl! Hope you didn't mind this chapter too much, and have a fantastic day!

**_Claire Rickman: _**Haha look! Another chapter within a month! I'm on a roll here! Well m'dear, some of your wishes were granted. She confided a little bit in Tom… her aunt did the rest for her it seems. Poor girl. You might want to pet Stephen some pretty soon because Olivia was pretty mean to him when she yelled. Hope you survived this chapter and thanks for the review! Be nice to Stephen!

**_The lady of the shadows: _**Exams are nasty. I gave my students an exam Friday. It was my last day interning there and they were quite unhappy that my last day teaching them I had to give them an exam. It was a hard one too. But hey, I didn't make it. There was another cuddle moment for you here! Of course, there was a lot of nastiness too. Hope you lived through your exam and this chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

**_Eldarwen999: _**I'm not sure if I'm going to introduce Blakeney to Star Wars or Lord of the Rings yet. Hahaha Tom in drag? Wow I don't think the world is ready for that. Tom does need action… one type will have to wait until Olivia's arm heals a bit though methinks. Hope Olivia's sob story wasn't too much to swallow and I hope you lived through this chapter! Thanks for reviewing m'dear!

Okay guys, so I noticed I get more reviews when I put Tom in make-up…. Yes I got more reviews than I probably deserve this time around, but there were more when I put Tom in make-up… which leads me to believe….

Tom: Don't even think it!

Me: Aww… why not?

Tom: No. Absolutely not. I draw the line there. No. N- O- no.

Me: Well don't tell me. If the readers review and disprove my theory I won't do anything. They don't review I may have to test my kill a character, get more reviews, theory.

Tom: Readers. Lovely ladies. Possible kind gentlemen but probably mostly ladies. Please, please, please review so Bean won't do horrible things to me. She's threatening to kill off characters and that's not good. Please please review and save my butt!

So there you go, review and save Tom's butt!

Thanks for reading guys! Love you!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Thirteen

Will Blakeney stared out the window at the ominous brick building growing larger in the car window. He shifted in the back seat and barely listened as Miss Corin assured him he would do fine. After three months of living in her apartment, Olivia had announced that the public schools in the area were getting started for the year, and suggested he attend. At first they had all protested, especially the Captain. From what they could tell by television programs young people in this time were troubled, rude, and disrespectful to their elders, and Jack Aubrey was not pleased with the idea of exposing the lad, which he was responsible for to that sort of attitude. However, Olivia had countered with the argument that none of them knew how long they would be in her time, and if they were stuck there forever a modern education would be essential for young Blakeney's success. And so, he could himself in the back seat of her car with the Captain in the front and Miss Corin driving, off to his first day of school.

"Okay, here we are. Newberry Middle School." Olivia announced, parking the car. "Do you remember our cover story?"

"The Captain is my Uncle Jack, and legal guardian. You are our distant American cousin and we have moved in with you until we adjust to life in the States." Will recited with a frown. He paused a moment, the asked with extreme doubt in his ability to cope in this situation. "What if they ask about my arm?"

"Um… tell them you lost it in a boating accident and don't like to talk about it." She replied. "The girls will love it. You'll be that cute mysterious English boy."

"A boating accident?" Jack raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"What? It's not **_that _**far from the truth." She said with a shrug, getting out of the car, flexing her hand under the brace she still wore for her arm. It had been two weeks and she had gotten rid of the sling, but still needed the brace, and found it quite an inconvenience. "Come on. We didn't drive out here to look at it."

Will sighed, getting out reluctantly. "These trousers are too big." He said, tugging at his pants critically.

"All the kids wear them like that." Olivia assured him.

"I look ridiculous." He complained.

"He does look rather silly." Jack muttered to Olivia.

"Kate picked out his clothes. She wouldn't steer him wrong. Fashion is her life." She told Jack, leading them up into the building.

The first thing that struck Blakeney was the noise. The front hall was filled with people about his age and they were all yelling at the tops of their lungs. Boys jumped each other, and poked and annoyed the girls. The girls chattered amongst themselves, and shrieked and giggled at the boys. He had no idea what to do and clung to his bag, feeling awkward. He wordlessly followed Miss Corin and Captain Aubrey into thankfully a much calmer, though still rather hectic room with "office" written on the door.

"Can I help you?" A stern looking woman asked from behind a desk.

Olivia cleared her throat, electing herself as the spokesperson for the group. "Yes, we're here to see Mr. Turner? New student." She said, putting an assuring hand on Will's shoulder.

A short man with boundless energy seemed to pop out of nowhere, obviously startling Olivia, who jumped as he stuck his hand out to shake forcefully. "Hi!" He said brightly. "I'm Mr. Turner! Welcome to Newberry!"

"Um… hi…." Olivia shook his hand seeming a tad overwhelmed by his greeting and causing Blakeney to hide a laugh, exchanging an amused look with the Captain. "I'm Olivia Corin, and these are my cousins Jack Aubrey and Will Blakeney."

Mr. Turner shook hands all around, a tad too enthusiastically for Will's tastes, and judging by the Captain's expression, he felt the same. He then turned to the stern woman, "Cindy, which peer helper is showing around our new student?"

The woman gave him an annoyed look and dug around in her desk for a paper, "Caitlin Takashima." She replied.

"Send her to my office when she gets here please. In the meantime, why don't we discuss your schedule?" He smiled kindly, adjusting his glasses and staring at Will for a response.

"Very good, sir." Will managed after an awkward pause, following the man into what he assumed was his office.

Jack hesitated a moment, turning to Olivia with a questioning look. "Does that man seem rather…. odd to you?" He asked softly.

She nodded, trying her best not to laugh. "He's a bit… enthusiastic."

Enthusiastic was hardly the word Jack would use for the man who appeared to be rather mad, and was in charge of overseeing the education of young people. "Leave it to you Americans to have the young educated by madmen." He commented, a mix between irony and teasing. "After you, miss." He stepped back allowing Miss Corin to pass and followed them into Mr. Turner's office.

"All right, have a seat, pull up a chair!" Mr. Turner went to his desk and sat behind a computer. "Well, William, I think we'll put you in 8th grade and see how it goes, I'll be his guidance councilor so if you have any problems, Will, can I call you Will? Please don't hesitate to find me. Coming to a new school is challenging enough, but you've got a whole new country to deal with!" He laughed at his own joke, if it was a joke, and continued. "Have you thought about your extra-curricular? We've got band, chorus, and interest block."

Will stared blankly at the man, he had no idea what he was talking about and looked at Miss Corin in alarm.

Olivia caught what she referred to as the 'deer in headlights' look and spoke up. "I think he'll need to know a bit more about your programs before making a decision."

"Well, we just got a new chorus teacher, and could certainly use some more young men to balance out the choir, or so Miss Young says." He started.

"Miss Young? Reagan Young?" Olivia raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! Do you know her?" He asked, typing into his computer.

"We went to school together." Olivia turned to Jack and Will. "She was another vocal major, though she was going education route while I was going the opera performance. Nice person. I forgot she had a job here. You probably met her at the 4th of July party."

"Choir wouldn't be so bad, I suppose." Will said, remembering the nice young lady who had introduced him to hacky-sac at the party.

"Very good!" Mr. Turner punched more into his computer. "Now, here's your schedule." He said, reaching over and grabbing it from the printer. "1st period is math with Mrs. Ortiz, today you'll be tested to see if you have the skills to move up to Algebra with Mr. Milton instead. 2nd you have 8th grade science, which is sort of like beginning chemistry and physics, with Mrs. Harris, then 3rd period is English 8 with Mrs. Dalton, then 4th period physical education with Coach Sheineld. Don't worry, we'll alert him to any special needs you may need because of your uh… disability."

"Disability?" Will stared at the man for a moment before realizing he was referring to his arm, and he blushed slightly.

"Will can manage for himself, Mr. Turner." Olivia spoke up, defending him. "You'd be surprised how resourceful he is."

"Of course, of course, no offense intended." Mr. Turner quickly apologized. "Now, after PE is will be lunch, 5th period you may take a language. Either French, German, or Spanish, which would you prefer?"

"French I should say." Jack spoke up. "You have some command of that language already, do you not?"

"I do, sir." Will nodded.

"Excellent. French with Mrs. Williams it is. Now, 6th period civics and economics with Mr. O'Reilly, and finally 7th period chorus. Sound good?" He asked, looking at Will, waiting on a response.

"Yes, sir." He replied after a short awkward silence.

For a moment Mr. Turner looked like he was about to say something else, but they were interrupted by a dark haired girl bouncing into the little office. "Hi Mr. Turner!" She chirped.

"Ah, Caitlin, good morning." Mr. Turner smiled kindly at the girl. "William, this is Caitlin Takashima, she'll be showing you around this morning."

Will stared at the girl. She was lovely, like one of those girls on the television, only real and seemed to radiate a certain type of glow. He suddenly remembered his manners and rose to his feet. "How do you do, miss?"

She blinked, and giggled, "Fine, thanks. You're like, from a totally different country aren't you?"

"Uh… England, miss." He replied, casting a confused look at Olivia, who smiled encouragingly.

"Miss? It's Caitlin, I'm not like, a grown-up or something." She replied. "Mr. Turner? Can we leave? He has his schedule." Caitlin pointed at the paper on the desk.

"Of course, Caitlin." He said, handing her a piece of paper. "Here's his locker number and combination. William, if you have any problems let me know."

"He won't have any problems, Mr. Turner." Caitlin rolled her eyes.

Mr. Turner laughed, "Not under your wing I'm sure. Have a great day you two."

Caitlin turned and left, with a rather shell-shocked looking young Will Blakeney after her.

"Well, Caitlin's a nice girl and will take good care of your nephew, Mr. Aubrey." He said after they left.

Jack nodded, slightly confused himself and silently cursing Miss Corin for insisting Blakeney come to school. "I'm sure, Mr. Turner, I'm sure."

Olivia cleared her throat, "If there's anything else? I need to get going."

"Oh! No, not really. Back to school night is next Monday, and I hope you both attend. It gives you a chance to meet his teachers, address any concerns with the curriculum, that sort of thing." He rose from his desk, shaking Jack's hand then Olivia's in turn. "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to call."

"Thank you, sir." Jack replied, still casting an annoyed look at Olivia, who was ignoring his dark looks and looking worriedly at the clock.

"Well, I won't keep you. Pleasure meeting you both." Mr. Turner said, seeing them out of his office.

"Yes, nice to meet you." Olivia replied distracted. "Jack, we better hurry."

"Very well." Jack was not really listening, he was watching as that little Caitlin girl was introducing Blakeney to a group of her peers, though she seemed to be more interested in showing off than helping him. He hoped the lad would be all right in this strange new environment and that sending him here was indeed the right thing to do. He was so distracted he did not notice that Mr. Turner had disappeared back into his office and Olivia was heading out the door.

"Jack!" She called over her shoulder. "Come on!"

He jumped, and turned to follow her, once out of the building he cast another worried glance at the door. "Miss Corin, are you sure this was a good idea?"

"He'll be fine, Jack. Besides, he needs some people his age to hang out with. Poor kid was so bored at the apartment all day he looked miserable. If he really hates it then we can pull him out." She answered, without much consideration. "Now hurry up, or I'll be late to class and Baker will fry me alive."

"Of course, Miss Corin." Jack replied, sliding into her car with a less than enthusiastic expression. He still was not convinced, but he supposed it would be all right. After all, what harm could attending this school do?

* * *

Will followed Caitlin down the crowded hall as she babbled on about which students to "hang out" with and which to avoid. She seemed to have an explanation for all the groups of students as they massed in groups outside doors of classrooms and the little metal closets she called lockers. They were on their way to his so she could show him how to open it and he could store his jacket.

"And you should hang out with Peyden and Jeremy and their friends. They're the cool boys. Laura, that girl I introduced you too down the hall, is going out with Jeremy, and she told me that Peyden was going to ask me out by the end of the week. Though I'm really not sure I should go out with him, I mean, he's kind of short and looks funny with me. I don't want my 8th grade dance pictures to look funny, you know?" Caitlin said cheerfully, waving at her friends and weaving through the crowds.

"Uh… indeed." Will replied, unsure of what 'going-out' meant exactly, though he assume it might be a courtship of sorts.

"Well, here's your locker, 448." Caitlin proceeded to show him how to open the lock, and he stashed his few extra belongings in there before following Caitlin to his 1st period class. She seemed to know everyone and had something to say about everything. He wondered vaguely if she ever stopped talking.

A loud bell rang throughout the building and Blakeney looked at her for an explanation. That was the third bell he heard that morning and he was starting to become curious.

"Oh my gosh! The late bell! Come on Will, we got to get to class." Caitlin took off down the hall.

Will noticed that there were not as many students in the hall now that the bell rang, and he rather preferred the less crowded conditions. "So, the first two were warnings?" He asked.

"And the third means you should be in class." Caitlin explained. "Some teachers want you seated while others don't really care. You'll figure it out when you meet them, the strict ones tend to be sticklers for being on time."

"I see." He followed her into the classroom, encountering what might actually be the largest woman he might ever have seen.

"Hello!" She said cheerfully, stepping aside to let them into the classroom. "Try to be on time next time you two, I was about to call roll." She shut the door as they entered and Caitlin immediately saw two of her giggly friends and sat with them.

"There's a free seat by Kyle, Will." She called, greeting her friends who giggled when they saw him and immediately began chattering to Caitlin.

"Hey, so you're the English kid?" The boy Caitlin indicated, Kyle, asked as Will sat down awkward with so many eyes on him.

"Yes, Will Blakeney, nice to meet you." Olivia had explained to him before he came to school that introducing himself as Lord Blakeney might seem a bit odd. Best keep the title out of things and blend as much as possible, and he could see why. His classmates all seemed terribly informal.

"Kyle Scheiner." He replied. He was a red haired boy with freckles, who pointed to the dark skinned boy with braids on his head. "This is Jerome," He turned to indicate the blond boy behind him, "And Tyler."

"Hey." Jerome greeted, looking hardly interested.

"Hey." Tyler however, seemed to be staring at Will's missing arm and he shifted in his seat as if he were dying to ask but afraid to.

"Boating accident." Will said, coldly. Students had been staring at his arm all day and he was rather tired of everyone whispering about it. "And I'd rather not talk about it."

"I didn't ask!" Tyler immediately replied, turning slightly red.

"You were **_staring_**, Tyler." A girl with glasses and short curly hair said from behind her book, without even looking up.

"Who asked **_you_**?" Tyler snapped.

"No one, but it's rude to stare and it's his first day at our school, we can at least **_try_** to be civilized." She answered, looking at him from over her book, eyebrow raised appraisingly.

"That's Marian." Kyle muttered to Will. "She's… well… she's Marian."

Across the room Caitlin was chattering with her friends. "And he's like totally clueless! It's soooo cute! He's totally out of it!"

Will knew they were talking about him and blushed a deep red and looking at his hand on the desk as the other girls stared and giggled at him.

Marian however, looked up from her book at Caitlin and the other giggling. She a stern look she raised her voice, mimicking their giddy little mood of speech. "And he can sooooo like totally hear you!" She mocked them, her book still open in her hand.

A couple of the other students laughed, mostly those sitting around Marian. Will looked up and gave her a grateful look. He was quite certain those girls were still talking about him, but at least he could not hear them anymore.

"All right class!" The large woman, Blakeney assumed was Mrs. Ortiz, rose from behind her desk. "Time for roll! Then we'll take the algebra test and see which of you will be joining Mr.Milton and which will be staying with me."

"Marian may as well pack up now." Tyler grumbled, looking over at the girl who had gone back to her book.

"Marian the Librarian." Kyle joked, lamely, causing the other boys to snicker.

Marian cast them a withering look, "Oh what, you thought of that nickname in like the 3rd grade?"

"They haven't matured since then." Another girl behind Marian commented.

"Okay people, settle down." Mrs. Ortiz said, though it seemed only half the class was listening for Caitlin's group of girls began to chatter away again and the teacher began going down a list and calling roll. Everyone answered 'here' and so Blakeney did the same. She paused and offered him a smile upon hearing his accent, but did not comment and went on seamlessly.

After his name was called Will glanced at each student as they responded to their own names, attempting to remember the faces along with the Christian names. He noticed with some amusement that Marian Campbell did not even look up from her book as her name was called and she responded sounding rather bored, as if being present in the classroom was the very last thing on her mind.

The rest of class was fairly uneventful. Mrs. Ortiz gave them a test to see who would move up to another class. Blakeney, having a strong foundation in mathematics as a midshipman had no trouble with the basic skills involved in the test. He found that he was one of the first to finish, second after Marian, who had finished and gone back to her book while the rest of the class seemed to ponder the test and struggled with the basic calculations.

When the bell rang everyone turned in their papers and filed out, all chattering among their own groups. Blakeney stood, unsure of what to do as Caitlin had left with her giggling friends, completely involved in their conversation and not noticing confused Will at all. The only people left in the classroom were Mrs. Ortiz, who seemed wholly involved in organizing the stack of tests, and Marian, who finally closed her book with a snap and slowly stood, gathering her belongings.

With a deep breath and a sigh he approached her, unsure of what else to do. "Excuse me, Marian is it?"

Marian seemed surprised he was even still present, "Oh! Yeah, Marian. I thought you would have left with the populars."

"No… they all left. Have you any idea of where room 117 might be?" He asked, feeling rather shy.

"Science with Mrs. Harris? Yeah, I'm heading there next too. You can walk with me if you'd like." Marian offered.

"Thank you, I will." He replied. "Caitlin seems to have forgotten to tell me where the classrooms are located."

Marian snorted as they walked out of the room and into the once again chaotic halls. "Caitlin probably doesn't think classes are the important part of school. I assume she told you the social pecking order though?"

"She pointed out a few groups, yes." Will grinned. "And informed me which groups I should socialize with."

"Well, I'm considered a geek, so if you socialize with me you'll probably lose all chance of popularity." Marian informed him honestly.

Will laughed, Marian so far seemed the most friendly and intelligent of the students he had met so far. Everyone thus far had seemed kind enough, at least to his face, though he found the way Caitlin talked to her friends about him behind his back disturbing, and Kyle and his friends seemed a tad on the idiotic side, the way they had all jumped up and started shoving on their way out the door of the classroom. He smiled at Marian, who seemed completely unconcerned with the opinions of her classmates and outspoken for what she felt was right. "I'll risk it." He told her.

Marian gave him a smile, and Blakeney had to admit she was right pretty when she smiled, "You may not think that later. Come on, we don't want to be late on the first day." She said, leading him to a stairwell and through the halls, explaining which classes would be located where and all the particulars of academic life Caitlin had failed to mention earlier.

In science class he found the desks quite different than in mathematics. Here they were arranged in tables of two, and so he sat with Marian, who the teacher announced their deskmate would be their lab partner unless she found they could not behave themselves, in which case she would assign them seats. The teacher reviewed what would be covered throughout the year, and although much of it seemed foreign to him, it was at least interesting and he had no doubt Marian would be a good lab partner, whatever that was.

English followed, and thanks to Marian he had no trouble finding the room. No one he recognized from earlier was in the class, so he sat in the back, listening as the teacher, Mrs. Dalton, allowed the students to "get to know" her by asking questions. It was relatively boring, and Mrs. Dalton was young and reminded him of Miss Corin's friend Kate in that she seemed rather flighty.

Next came PE in the gym with Coach Sheineld, a brutish looking man with a strong jaw and a tendency to bark at the class. They did not "dress-out" and so they were all seated in the bleachers where they listened to the Coach lecture on how he would not tolerate laziness in his class, nor would he tolerate smart mouths or talking back. He seemed to have quite the list of things he would not tolerate, and most of the class seemed to be only pretending to pay attention. Most eyes in fact, seemed to be resting intently on the clock, willing time to go a tad faster so they could go to lunch.

Upon entering the cafeteria Blakeney found it to be pure chaos. Everyone seemed to be searching for their group of friends to sit with and were hollering and carrying on. He momentarily longed for the familiar mess of the midshipmen's berth and wondered where exactly he should sit. He followed the example of the other students and stood in what he assumed was the food line, picking out the food that seemed the most appealing. None of it seemed too bad, though several students complained about the lack of "real meat" in their food. He paid the smiling woman seated at the cash register with the money Miss Corin had given him that morning and went with his tray in search of a seat.

"You look positively lost." An amused voice behind him commented.

He turned to find Marian, with her tray, scanning the lines of tables. "Yes, well, I'm not sure where to sit." He admitted.

"You can sit with us if you want, assuming I can find us." She said, still scanning the tables. "There they are." She pointed at a small group of students seated at their own table, chattering among themselves. "Come if you want."

Having no other offers and happy to sit with Marian he followed her to the table where three other girls and two boys were seated. "Hey, guys this is Will Blakeney, he's new to the school, okay if he sits with us?"

"No, Marian, he has to pass a test first." One of the girls said, rolling her eyes. "Pull up a chair, Will, and tell us how you like Newberry." She welcomed him, offering a smile.

Will sat, pleased to have a place to sit and what appeared to be friendly people to eat with. "Thank you, I'm afraid I don't know your name?"

"I'm Ashley." The girl replied, she then indicated each person seated at the table. "This is Britney, Mark, Ian, and Melissa, you know Marian obviously."

"You're in my gym class." Ian said, "What'd you think of Coach Sheineld's speech?" He asked, biting into his pizza.

"It was… interesting." Will replied, not wanting to offend by saying it was boring and rather ineffective.

"Interesting. That's a nice way to put seriously boring, right?" Britney asked, reaching over and stealing one of Marian's fries.

"Geez! Brit, why don't you just get your own fries?" Marian asked, poking her friend in the ribs to prevent her from grabbing another.

"My mom insists on packing my lunch, claiming I won't eat healthy if she doesn't and I'll become a fat lazy commercially self-involved teenager." Britney grumbled, attempting to steal another fry.

"Oh, like you have to worry about getting fat." She replied, swatting at her friend and stealing her fry back.

Blakeney studied Britney curiously. She was quite possibly the skinniest girl he had ever seen in his life, and in his opinion looked in need of a good meal.

"I know, I know, it's this diet Mom insists on. She's decided we're veggan or something and took all the meat out of the house. Dad's threatening to leave her if she takes his bacon. I eat and eat but when it's all tofu and steamed carrots you can't exactly gain much weight." She complained.

"What's tofu?" Will asked, curiously.

"It's nasty!" Mark said, digging into his sandwich like he hadn't eaten in years.

"It's not so bad." Britney said, elbowing Mark. "It's like, fake meat, I guess."

"With the consistency of jello." Ian added.

"It does not!"

Marian cleared her throat to end the argument about tofu. "So, are you having a good first day, Will?"

"All right I suppose." He replied.

"Where are you from?" She asked. "I mean, where in England?"

"Hampshire." He answered, deciding to keep in general and hoping no one asked for specifics. He doubted they would. Miss Corin did not seem to ever have a clue as to any of the specifics of England and he doubted many of these people would either.

"Cool." Ashley glanced over at the table where Caitlin and her friends were seated, staring at Will and giggling, making no effort to disguise the topic of their conversation. "Is it just me, or has Caitlin and her band of giggling clones gotten stupider over the summer?"

"Oh but, like, now they have tans!" Melissa chirped, mimicking their mood of speech. "Nevermind that like, the sun has like, totally fried their brains!"

"They had brains?" Britney asked in shock. "No way!"

"Come on you guys, they're not **_that_** bad." Mark toned them down.

"That's just because you went to the spring dance with Myra, Caitlin clone number three, last year!" Marian accused.

"Hey, she's hot and she wanted help on her earth science homework." Mark defended himself. "And I'm close enough to the jock group to be allowed to date a popular girl."

"Yeah, Mark plays soccer but he hangs out with us. He's a freak." Ashley explained, receiving nods of agreement all around the table.

Lunch continued much like that, friendly chatter all around. They made an effort to involve Will in the conversation, though he much preferred listening and learning from their chatter then attempting to keep up. By the time the bell rang it had been established that Ashley and Ian were in his French class, Marian in his civics, and Britney and Mark were both in choir, though Britney teased Mark, saying the only reason he was in choir was because Miss Young was considered "hot". Since they had discovered three of them were in the same class Will set off for French with Ashley and Ian.

The French classroom was brightly decorated, though the amount of French Republican flags decorating the walls made Will cringe in distaste. As an English sailor he had an automatic affinity for that particular flag, and found the displays distasteful.

"What's wrong, Will?" Ashley asked, settling into a desk.

"Well," He hesitated, wondering how to explain.

"He's English! They don't like the French, do they?" Ian answered for him, turning to Will for either a confirmation or denial.

Will chuckled slightly and nodded, "Well, I wouldn't say we're best of friends, but I wouldn't say hate." He said, quite diplomatically.

Ashley laughed, "So you're pleading the 5th huh?" She then noticed the clueless look on Will's face and waved her hand. "Nevermind."

"Tsk tsk tsk." Came a tut from behind the desk. There sat the jolly, round looking teacher, a woman with a bit too much make-up and a smile that was so cheery it should be illegal. "Don't like the French? Oh no no no, we must get rid of that attitude straight away eh?" She laughed at her own joke and puttered off to the other side of the room to gather stacks of textbooks.

"Yeah, because in one class she's going to erase hundreds of years of historic sentiments." Ian muttered, crossing his arms and glaring at the back of the teacher as if she had never opened a history book in her life. Ian was the son of a history professor and an English professor at Newberry University and was quite the history buff himself.

"Did we say someone didn't like the French?" Ashley added, raising an eyebrow. "She's crazy." She whispered mischievously under her breath.

Blakeney held back a snort and quietly got out his notebook, waiting for class to start. When they received their textbooks Blakeney was relieved to see that this was one class he certainly was not going to have a problem with. It was beginning French, as if he had never learned a bit of it in his entire life, and Will, while not entirely as fluent as the Doctor, could already manage a little bit of French, and so he anticipated this being an easy class. Especially since the teacher seemed intent on treating them all like children and spoke to them as if they were puppies, occasionally throwing in some French here or there. She had them all go around the room and say "Bonjour! Je m'appelle….." filling in their names. Then they had to introduce themselves to every other person in the classroom and spent the rest of class counting with the teacher. It was quite boring and Blakeney was relieved when the bell finally rang.

In civics he met up with Marian again and overheard Caitlin and her friends in the hall saying in a loud voice, "Oh, we lost him to the geeks" but thought nothing of it. He enjoyed his newfound friendship with this group, and could keep up with the small group of so-called "geeks" far easier than the "populars" who seemed to grow larger by the minute. Marian rolled her eyes at this comment and as Will sat down she leaned forward a bit to speak to him.

"Looks like you've been judged and labeled one of us "geeks". Welcome to the club." She said easily. "But if you're good at sports you can still become a jock, so all is not lost yet!"

Will laughed, "From what I've seen so far, Marian, I'd rather be a geek any day." He said boldly, sitting down in the desk next to her.

Civics was taught by a man that was much like Coach Sheineld, but much fatter with a gruff voice. He immediately launched into how their generation had no knowledge of their own government and went around the room asking random students questions and mocking them for not knowing the answer. This made Will very uneasy as he was English, obviously, and not from this time, he had no idea what any of the answers were. He sank lower in his seat, as if hoping he would not be called upon, while the tips of his ears began to burn red.

"You!" His prayers were not answered, Mr. O'Reilly was pointing his beefy finger straight at Will.

"Yes, sir?" Will said, making his English accent as obvious as possible in an effort to make the teacher realize his disadvantage and have mercy.

"How many Justices are there on the Supreme Court?" He barked.

"Um…" Blakeney stalled for time, blinking slowly. "I don't know, sir."

"You don't know?" He mocked, stamping his tree trunk like legs. "You simply don't know? Do you even know what the Supreme Court is?"

Several students laughed and Blakeney's cheeks burned in embarrassment, but Marian was immediately sympathetic and looked positively outraged. Her hand shot up like a dart and all eyes turned to her. "Will's English and just moved to this country so chances are he wouldn't know how many Supreme Court justices there are just like you probably don't know how many Members of Parliament they have."

Mr. O'Reilly's eyes narrowed at Marian, who seemed unmoved by his glare. It seemed quite obvious to the whole class he did not know how many people where in Parliament or he would have answered just to show Marian up. "Well, what's your name missy?"

"Marian Campbell." She answered boldly, unafraid, though Will felt horrible that he might have gotten her in trouble.

"Well, Marian, I suppose you can tell me how many justices there are on the Supreme Court?" He asked, his eyes shining in triumph, certain that she did not know the answer.

"It's been nine since 1837, except for a brief period during Andrew Johnson's presidency when it was eight, then it went back to nine and has been nine ever since." She answered, sounding almost bored with the question. Then added for show, "Everyone who was born in this country knows that."

The teacher's frown grew deeper. "Who's chief justice?"

"Rehnquist." She answered automatically.

Mr. O'Reilly stared at her for a moment, assessing her, and Marian stared right back, never blinking. Then he seemed to give up, muttered to her, "Very good, Marian." And moved on to torture the next student.

When the bell finally rang Mr. O'Reilly watched very carefully as Will and Marian left the classroom.

"Thanks for that, Marian, but you could have gotten yourself into trouble." He said with a frown.

"Hey, he was rude. I can't stand rude people." Marian said, tossing her head. "I hate when teacher's mock us like we're stupid or something. They were our age too once, you know?"

Will smiled, knowing the feeling. "Well, I have chorus. Will I see you tomorrow?" He asked.

"Of course, Will. I'm here everyday unless I have a fever!" She laughed. "See you tomorrow." With that Marian turned and headed off to her own next class, which was band apparently, with a wave over her shoulder.

In chorus Will met up with Mark and Britney, who were arguing over when part try-outs would be. Britney apparently wanted to sing soprano, but Mark was certain Miss Young would never take her off alto as she was apparently the anchor of the alto section. It was quite a heated argument that continued until the bell rang and Reagan Young rushed into the room.

She immediately recognized Will and smiled, "Hi Will, remember me?" She asked kindly. She was certainly dressed differently than the last time they met. Reagan was dressed in a long skirt, tall boots, and a blouse of deep purple, looking wholly professional and very much like his other teachers, though she was younger, and he silently agreed with Mark that she was the most attractive of the teachers he had seen in the school.

Will returned her smile, "Yes Miss Young. It is a pleasure to see you again, ma'am." He greeted.

Mark looked at him curiously and leaned over Britney, "You know Miss Young?"

"She's a friend of the cousin I live with." He explained, adding in part of the story Miss Corin had concocted to explain.

"Okay, people, no time to play around!" Miss Young called after marking in her roll book. "Grab a folder, whatever part you were on last year and line up in the old seating arrangement."

Mark gave Britney a triumphant look as the students in the choir ran off to get their folders. Will paused, unsure of what to get.

"Will, share with Mark for now. I'll talk to you after class, okay?" Miss Young said.

He did so, sitting next to Mark in the second row, noting Caitlin, who was in the front row with a folder marked, 'soprano' was giggling, yet again.

"Settle down Caitlin, it's a boy, you've seen one before." Miss Young rolled her eyes at the giggling and Caitlin immediately stopped. "Now! Part auditions will be in two weeks, let me know what part you would like, but remember I have to think of the choir and so you may not get your choice, okay? So, open your binders to "Let there be Peace" and let's sightread!"

Thus choir practice began. They seemed quite good, though Blakeney was unsure what to sing. He had never been in a formal choir before, and though he could sing along with his fellow midshipmen quite well, he had never had a specific part or harmony. He would have been completely lost if he had not been between two boys singing what he was supposed to sing, so he followed their voices. Mark was quite good, while the boy on the other side, Dwayne, seemed to know just a little more than Will's complete lack of knowledge. Miss Young of course, had plenty of areas for them to improve upon, and scolded them all for forgetting their pronunciations and vowels over the summer.She sang lines emphasizing certain words with a smooth clear voice and played away on the piano at the from of the room with one hand while conducting with the other.

When the bell rang the usual chaos occurred. Everyone rant to put away their binders, and Miss Young beckoned Will to where she was gathering music at the piano.

"How was your first day?" She asked kindly.

"Well enough, Miss Young." He answered.

"Have you ever sung in a choir before, Will?" Miss Young continued, putting some sheet music in order as they spoke.

"No, ma'am. I'm afraid I was rather lost today." He admitted.

"Well, lucky for you, you're living with one of the best singers I know." She said with a smile. "Tell Olivia I said to help you with this music." She said, handing him a newly created binder. "She'll teach you everything you need to know to get caught up and then some."

Will took the binder, "Yes ma'am, thank you ma'am." He said, blushing slightly.

"You're welcome. Now hurry or you'll miss your bus." Miss Young shooed him away and Will hurried off to his locker to gather his belongings and rushed out to the front of the school where he was to get on bus 42 and get off at the top of North Street to walk to the apartment.

"Will! Hey Will!" Ian and Marian were both seated on the bus, and Will was happy to see them. He saw the unrestrained chaos on the buses, and feared the ride home, but now Marian and Ian appeared to be both on his bus and he quickly went to join them where they sat in the middle of the vehicle.

"Hello Ian, hello Marian, it's good to see you." He greeted, putting his bag beside him and turning to speak with his newfound friends.

Marian adjusted her glasses on her nose, "Survive the first day?" She asked with her usual slight sarcasm.

"I managed." He answered. "You?"

"Well, I think I've made an enemy of Mr. O'Reilly, but oh well." She shrugged.

"Our French teacher is the dumbest woman I've ever seen." Ian groaned, drumming his fingers on a large case beside him.

"Perhaps it will get better?" Will looked at them both with hope.

"No." They both replied together. The three continued to talk until the bus shuddered to a stop at the top of North Street.

"Oh! Here's my stop." Will said, rising to his feet and gathering his belongings once more. "Until tomorrow?"

"Until tomorrow." Marian said giving him a grin. "Oh! Will, some of us are getting together Friday at my house and watching movies and stuff. Want to come?"

"I'll ask, but I'd love to." He said, happy to spend more time with his fellow students, even if some of his new friends were typical "modern" girls.

"Great." She glanced out the window. "You better go, Will."

"Yeah, miss this stop and you'll be walking five miles back." Ian commented.

Will nodded, waving over his shoulder and exited the bus. He watched as it rumbled away and turned to go down the street, back to the apartment. He was pleased with how the day had gone, despite the problems and confusion, and looked forward to tomorrow. He was still smiling when he returned to the apartment, where the Captain, Doctor, and Mr. Pullings were playing a game they found in Miss Corin's hall closet that she had explained the night before called_ Monopoly_. It was strictly based on luck, and the Doctor obviously had none whatsoever, for he complained quite loudly as Mr. Pullings collected the pretend money from him.

They looked up as Blakeney entered, curious to know how his day had gone. "Well, Mr. Blakeney, I trust school was successful?" Jack asked, noting the grin on his midshipman's face.

"Very successful, sir, thank you." He replied, shifting his bag. "I have assignments from school, they call it homework, I would like to get it done straightaway, do you not agree?"

"Of course, Mr. Blakeney." Jack said, impressed. It was obvious Miss Corin was correct, judging by his smile, school had been good for the lad.

"I've been invited to one of my classmate's house Friday night, might I go, sir?" He asked, while it was on his mind.

They all exchanged surprised looks, unsure of how to proceed. "Well, I suppose, but you'll have to ask Miss Corin for a ride."

"Yes, sir, I will." With that Will retreated back down the hall to the room he shared with Mr. Pullings to complete his homework.

"Well, school seems to have been a success." Stephen commented.

"Indeed." Jack said, collected the dice and rolling. "Indeed."

"Sir, I do believe that is my property." Tom said, a hint of triumph in his voice. "That will be 800." He said.

"Mr. Pullings, I am wiped out." Jack said, disappointed in his luck. "Unless the good Doctor could offer some support?"

"I am hardly in the position myself as Mr. Pullings's fine hotels have taken their toll upon my funds." Stephen said wryly, throwing his cards on the table.

"Then the game is mine, gentlemen?" Tom asked, beaming in his monopoly of the board.

"Indeed." Jack answered, throwing his cards on the table. "Though, the next game, my good sir, shall be mine." He proclaimed.

"Is that so, sir?" Tom leaned over the table a bit, amused. "Another game then, to answer your challenge?"

Jack grinned, "Deal Mr. Pullings, and you will rue the day you crossed my property!"

* * *

A/N: So there's Blakeney's first day of school! I haven't been a middle school student in a long time, though I've taught middle school in the past year, but that's quite a different prospective. I hope you guys liked it! I rewrote this chapter five times. Yes that's right. Five times. By now I'm so sick of this chapter I just want to post it and be done! I'm also working and it's hardly inspiring like my student teaching gig… so don't expect quick updates! Sorry guys! I hardly want to sit in front of a computer after doing that all day!

Anyway, next chapter will probably be Tom and Olivia…. maybe…. haven't decided yet. I might have to throw Marian in the next chapter because I like her. Marian's a bit of a smartass isn't she? Haha I love that!

So… there's the long awaited Blakeney chapter! I know some of you are screaming finally! Lord, I've been being bugged to write something Blakeney centered since the first story! Shesh! I hope that met your expectations!

Where will I go next? Hm…. Stay tuned and find out!

**_Et-spiritus-sancti_**: No worries about not reviewing 11. Yes, Olivia is very very screwed up. That was the goal! I'm glad you don't think it's too over the top to be realistic, that was my main fear. And now that the cousins are gone I know Olivia is hoping for more alone time with Tom. Hehe. Don't worry though, the cousins will be back. I like them too much for that to be their only appearance! I shall try to run over Gary with a lawn mower but I'm not quite sure how to work that out. As for embarrassing Tom, no worries. I have plenty of ideas in that regard.

Tom: (whimper)

Me: Mwahahahaha

Tom: (whispers) Save me Sancti! Please?

Haha thanks for reviewing and I wrote this chapter kind of long just for you! Cheers!

**_Archer of Darkness and Callie_**: Softball keeps one busy, I know. I've been busy working, though I'd rather not. One must earn money for the all important tuition and rent. Thanks for taking the time to review though! Hope this chapter lived up to your expectations m'dear!

**_SweetiePye2332: _**Wow! Lots of reviews at once! How surprising! Welcome m'dear, to my insanity and I'm glad you've enjoyed it thus far (though I will admit your comment about the walkie-talkie in your first review of To Wives and Sweethearts made me laugh as I'm a history major and would have had to hurt myself if I messed up the period correctness THAT badly) and am happy to have you along for this insane journey! Let's see…. Your questions on this story…. Does Will ever get a sweetheart? Not telling yet! Actually… don't know yet… As for Olivia telling people about the guys being from the past, she only told Kate and Kate told Lannie. Kate and Lannie are pretty much her best friends and she told them about MOST things in To Wives and Sweethearts… expect that she and Tom are engaged because Kate will freak out. The rest of the world gets the cover story. Haha and yes I am a fan of these touching feely moments. They make me happy! The cousins ages? Maria is seven and Katalin are five, they are based on a collaboration of kids I babysat and my mom's preschool students I've worked with. My favorites mostly, though I'm not going to bother identifying who is who! Haha congrats on guessing about Olivia's past! Hope you enjoyed the Blakeney chapter and thanks for all the reviews!

**_Sakai213:_** Haha no worries m'dear! You reviewed and that's all that matters! Lannie is a direct descendant of Jack… I'm not sure I've specifically established that but it's not important to the plot so there you go. I just threw it in for fun! Glad you're enjoying the story and hope to post the next chapter quicker than this one! Thanks for reading m'dear! You guys make writing this stuff worth while!

_**Wing Pikepaw:**_ Haha Blakeney's chapter is all for you dear! Hope you enjoyed it! LOL I do like the back-up squad idea, though I doubt a water gun would scare Gary off. I agree that she shouldn't have to go through all this, but I'm abusive to my characters. Do be careful with exploding soup. That sounds dangerous and I don't want to lose one of my favorite readers! Haha thanks for sticking with me and sorry this took so long. Had to rewrite it five times! Hope you enjoyed!

**_Sfinx:_** Haha well the rate I'm going this story isn't going to be done for a while! It's already 121 pages single-spaced in word. Shesh I've never written such a long story in my life! And it's nowhere near done! Ack! And then I'm planning a third story if not more! Wow I'll be writing these guys forever. Anyway, haha Olivia teaching Tom to drive might have to be written. That'd be fun. Thanks for reviewing and hope you enjoyed the Blakeney chapter.

_**Frannypants:**_ Haha I know, I know, I'm mean to Olivia, but it's fun! I gave you Blakeney, now be gentle with him! He's not used to this type of attention poor kid! Hope you enjoyed the chapter and I didn't butcher middle school too badly. Like I said, I haven't been a middle school student in a long time, though I have taught them, it's not the same! Thanks for reviewing m'dear! I can't draw worth crap so if you ever feel the need to illustrate something I write…. Haha just kidding… I'm not hinting… though you can if you really want! Hope you enjoyed the update!

**_Anyana:_** I'm glad 12 filled in the blanks. That was the main point of it haha. Hope this chapter was worth the wait! Thanks for sticking with me!

**_Angel of the Night Watchers:_** I'm glad you approve of 12. Writing that chapter was a challenge to say the least. Haha and I totally didn't think about the whole Tom touching Olivia deal. Wow good catch. I'll keep that in mind in the future Angel. Yes, Olivia's worked through it fairly well I think, but they'll be some scenes I'm thinking of having in the future that bring her past up yet again and she'll have to confront some things. Since I'm a sap for Tom/Olivia moments Tom will of course be his sappy supportive self…. But Olivia's reaction is yet to be determined by my brain. Haha thanks for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed the much lighter Blakeney chapter! Despite taking me forever it wasn't as hard to write… somewhat… haha. Thanks for sticking with me m'dear!

_**ClaireRickman:**_ I'm glad you liked 12 and I hope you liked this chapter too! Stephen needs to keep his hands to himself and off moody Olivia! Yeah, Tom needed to know about Olivia's past, and the Aunt telling him was a random idea because Olivia's character is so stubborn!

Olivia: Hey! You made me like this.

Tom: Yes… why did you do that?

Olivia: Shush!

Anyway, hope Stephen is behaving and hope you enjoyed the update! Remember to make sure he gets lots of veggies! Thanks for reviewing!

**_Norma Jean the Dancing Machine:_** My best chapter is 12? Really? Wow thanks! I always get myself in over my head and I think this story is one of those times. As for letting them get married soon… haha you know it can't be that easy! I have to drag you guys along some more twists and turns and bumps first! By the time this story is over you may have a hit list of characters you want dead a mile long! Don't worry, I have no plans of stopping. I'm committed to it now! Keep reading and I'll keep writing deal? Thanks for reviewing and hope you enjoyed the update!

**_Mary Ann Talbot:_** Yes, Olivia has some evil family. But she has a large family. Don't worry, not all the Hungarian relatives are evil. I'm planning on giving her a Great-Aunt that I want to bring to life and make her my real Great-Aunt! Haha I'm a bit at a lose as to what to do with an upcoming family get-together type thing, you know, foods to serve, that sort of thing. If Olivia's grandmother and great-aunts and uncles were southern American I would have fried chicken, black-eyed peas, and of course, grits and dumplings, but her grandmother is Hungarian so I don't know what to do! Haha if you really want to be nice you could help ;-) No pressure of course! Come on Mary Anne Talbot! You know you want to help me make this story really awesome! Email me ideas! Okay, I'll stop bothering you in my review reply, but I promise not all the Hungarian family members will be mean. Many will be nice and friendly happy people. Just the Grandmother is a little mean. I have mean family members also so it has nothing to do with nationality I assure you! And yes, there are Blakeney fans out there. Haha talk to Wing Pikepaw! Thanks for reviewing m'dear and hope you enjoyed the update!

**_Eldarwen999:_** Olivia's had a rough life, I agree. I'm mean like that. Tom is an absolute sweetheart… too good to be true eh? Tom torture will come soon I promise. In the meanwhile, hope you enjoyed the nice happy chapter where Blakeney makes friends! Thanks for reviewing!

**_Elessar King:_** Haha I ran out on you on IM so I could post this and get to bed! And you're my last reply before I sleep. Shhhhhh! Don't talk about kidnapping here! There are spies everywhere! Haha okay like I've ever cared about spoiling people. And I promise I shall not hit anyone with a car or bus. Though I may have to work in getting run over by a horse just because it's a challenge. I'll work in the Napoleon ice cream soon just for you I promise. Pat Little Jack for me. He should come to Ireland with us! Because we are going (poke poke poke) if I have to kidnap you myself! Pirates was half you, you know, so you were laughing at your own brilliance. Good job. Anyway, I have to work as an Human Resource assistant tomorrow…. so anything else I think of I'll have to tell you tomorrow eh? Night!

**_Special Notes:_** Okay guys, I'm pitching shamelessly here, andthey did not ask me to do this, but I'm doing it anyway!Everyone go read Crimson Rose by Zen Lady and all of Miss Flossy's work. All very awesome and worthwhile and make my writing look like the stuff I use to wipe of my rabbit's accidents with. You think I'm mean to Tom? Read with Flossy does to him in Woman Scorned! Shesh! And Flossy, if you're reading this I hope you're feeling better!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You guys make writing this story so much fun and it's always so great to hear from you! Now… Tom's trick since you guys were so nice and reviewed…..

Tom: I'm not coming out!

Me: You will if you ever want to have a nice evening with Olivia!

Olivia: You don't look that bad!

Tom: (grumbles and comes out wearing a bright pink tutu with fake boobs)

Me: You look pretty!

Tom: Where do you get this stuff?

Me: (shrug) My mother sells them at the store where she works. (note: she really does, they're "man tutus")

Tom: You're so evil.

Me: Next time, if I get lots of reviews, you'll have to dance.

Tom: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

There you have it. Review and Tom will dance. Now, I'm off to bed. Until next time m'dears, happy reading!


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Olivia glanced at the clock on the wall as she pondered the question before her. She hated tests and the essay portion of this history of music test was about to make her pull her hair out.

"Five minutes people!" Doctor Baker announced, grinning like the sadistic bastard they all thought he was at that precise moment.

Olivia sighed to herself, she was not going to be able to do much more here. Best finish it off with the last pocket of her knowledge on the Renaissance and cut her loses. With a satisfied glance over she signed the pledge at the bottom and turned it in.

Lannie and Mitch both finished about the same time and met her in the hall. They were the ecliptic group of musicians, Lannie a cellist, Mitch a tuba player, and Olivia an opera performance major. "Well?" Lannie asked Olivia as they headed out the door.

Olivia sighed, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I think I'd rather pass a kidney stone. You Mitch?"

"Brutal babe. Just brutal." Mitch grumbled, lighting up a cigarette as soon as they left the building into the parking lot.

"You shouldn't smoke." Olivia scolded.

"Lannie does." He shot back

"Hey! I quit. Besides dumbass, I don't need my lungs to play my instrument, you'll sound great with your tuba hacking up a lung on the rests." Lannie replied, tossing her blonde head.

"Whatever Lan. Hey Livs are we having drinks at your place tonight or what?" Mitch asked, skillfully changing the subject.

"Yeah I'm off work so why not? But no smoking at my place!" She answered, glancing at her cell phone as she turned it on to check her messages.

"What you're not using this opportunity for snuggle time with dearest Tom?" Lannie teased. "The old spark just not the same anymore?"

"You know Livs, she gets bored." Mitch jumped in on the joke, elbowing Olivia.

"Not funny guys. And please don't joke like this around Tom, he'll freak. He still hasn't quite gotten over when you told him I had sex with Joseph McGregor in the prop room." She said, glaring at them both.

"Livs, you _did _have sex with Joseph McGregor in the prop room." Mitch replied.

"Mitch, _everyone_ has had sex in the prop room with someone." Lannie said, rolling her eyes.

"I haven't." He pouted.

"Because you're the safety boy, sweetpea." Lanne teased, patting his cheek. "The type our mothers want us to date."

"Not my mother." Olivia rolled her eyes, "She's shooting for a nice redneck drunk West Virginia boy for me."

"Aww… and Tommy-boy's English. Guess you'll have to dump him." Lannie joked lamely.

"Shut up Lan." Olivia glanced at her phone again. "Speak of the devil, mother dearest called while we were taking that bitch of a test."

"So you're exchanging one bitch for another?" Lannie raised an eyebrow. "Sucks to be you, Livs."

"Yeah don't it?" Olivia sighed. "Guess I should call her back. Catch you guys tonight okay?"

"Deal babe." Mitch said as he and Lannie headed off.

As she dialed Olivia got in her car to drive to the store. She had a Wal-Mart run to make but between her classes Tom had called asking her to pick up several food items that she had no idea what they were. So instead of buying the wrong thing, she offered to pick him up so he could come along. Their household arrangement seemed to be working out quite well and they had all fallen into a routine. Tom cooked, the others cleaned, and Olivia footed the bill. It worked for her but she could tell Tom was getting a little frustrated with the hours she kept. Being a full time student and earning enough to feed five people plus pay the rent was time consuming. She also knew that he would not be happy about the little party she was planning for tonight, her first night off all semester. She would have to think of a way to make it up to him.

The phone began to ring as Olivia backed out of her parking space and she held the phone with her shoulder to change gears.

Her mother picked up, sounding as flighty as ever. "Hello?"

"Hey, Mom. You called?" She said, distracted by driving and sure whatever her mother had to say most likely did not need her full attention.

"Oh! Yes dear! I have wonderful news!" Her mother sounded excited, which was usually in Olivia's experience not a good thing. "I'm getting married!"

Olivia's jaw dropped and she quickly had to slam on the breaks to avoid hitting a telephone poll as she momentarily lost concentration on her driving. "What!"

"Yes dear! Isn't it wonderful?"

She could only imagine the look of joy on her mother's face as she announced this shocking revelation. "To who, mom, I didn't even know you were seeing someone."

"Jordan Killigan." She answered.

"Jordan…. Senior? Didn't I date his son in high school?" Olivia felt a headache coming on, keeping up with all her step-fathers was enough of a headache without her mother added to the collection.

"You did dear, but I'm not marrying the senior, I'm marrying Jordan Junior. He took you to your junior prom, remember?"

Olivia's jaw dropped. "Mom… you're marrying my high school prom date?"

She sounded positively overjoyed. "Yes dear! Isn't it funny the way things work out?"

"Ma… he's my age!" Olivia was in complete shock. The thought of her mother marrying someone her own age was a little overwhelming. Particularly since she had dated this boy once herself.

"Oh I'm not so old dear, I had you young remember?"

She wanted to scream, bang her head against the wall, something! However, all she could do was give a frustrated sigh, "Yes Mom, I remember. When's the wedding?"

"Next weekend. Will you come? Bring your new boyfriend! And his friends that Alida says are living there! We want everyone to share in our love!"

The sentiment almost made Olivia sick. "We'll see Mom."

"I want you to be one of my maids of honor!"

"Mom…"

"Please darling? For me? I don't ask you for much. And your grandmother is getting up there you know."

Olivia sighed, "It's fall break next weekend Ma. I was going to-"

"Which means you'll be free! Oh wonderful dear! I'll see you Thursday then!" Her mother giggled. "Well I have to go darling! Can't wait to see you! Bye!"

With that her mother hung up leaving her poor daughter in absolute shock. With a sigh Olivia put her car in gear, heading out again. She rolled her eyes as she put the phone back in her bag, muttering under her breath, "I'm going to need so much therapy…."

* * *

"Miss Corin, are you driving the regulated speed? Because I do believe that sign says 65 miles per hour and if my eyes do not deceive me, you are going 75 miles per hour, am I correct?"

Olivia glanced at Stephen in her rear view mirror with a look of pure annoyance. It had been six days since her mother called with the news of her wedding, and after much debate with herself she had decided that leaving the gentlemen in her apartment alone for four days would probably be far worse than taking them with her. Besides, Tom had insisted on coming along, knowing that this would be a trying time for her and wanting to help where he could. He always was curious to meet her mother and family, even though she assured him they would "frighten him beyond measure." Now they were all jammed into her little two-door car, a feat that Olivia declared defied physics as she managed to get everyone in along with luggage. Tom was in the front seat with Olivia, while Jack and Stephen were in the back with Blakeney shoved in the middle. He was simply happy to be missing school however, and did not complain. Unlike Stephen Maturin, who seemed to find Miss Corin's driving quite terrifying, while Jack seemed to find the speeds quite exhilarating.

"Why Stephen my dear, she could not go fast enough! A bit more speed Miss Corin, if you please." He announced, staring out the window as the scenery flew by.

Olivia sighed, "Hey guys, why don't you leave the driving up to me. You know, the licensed driver? The only one in the car?"

Tom could not help but laugh a little, "Gentlemen, I do believe your silence has been requested."

"Yes well, if I am silent that horrible hum of the vehicle will make me quite ill." Stephen complained.

"I told you, stop looking out the window then!" Olivia replied.

"Then what shall I look at?"

She sighed, feeling a headache coming on. "How about some music?"

"Ah! An excellent idea Miss Corin!" Jack positively beamed, exchanging a look with young Will and his first Lieutenant. "Let's see…." He cleared his throat and began singing:

"Come cheer up my lads, it's to glory we steer

To add something more to this wonderful year

To honor we call you, as free men, not slaves

For who are so free as the sons of the waves?"

All knowing the tune quite well, the other gentlemen joined in at the chorus, Tom giving Olivia a sheepish grin as she rolled her eyes, muttering, "I meant put in a CD…"

"Heart of oak are our ships

Heart of oak are our men

We always are ready

Steady, boys, steady

We'll fight and we'll conquer, again and again"

Finally, by the end, Olivia had given up her annoyance, quite amused, and joined them on the last chorus, her clear soprano voice adding a unique texture to the song that they were all used to hearing strictly male voices and the higher tones of the lads sing.

They continued to sing songs as they went down the road until their throats were quite raw. It was growing late as the scenery became more and more mountainous and they all fell into a comfortable silence. Blakeney was the first to drift off, using Jack's arm as a head rest, while Stephen soon followed, head resting against the cool window. Finally, a loud snort from the backseat told Tom and Olivia that Jack had drifted off as well, head plopped straight back and mouth wide open.

Tom felt exhaustion hitting him as well, but was attempting to stay awake for Olivia's sake. She could hardly sleep while she drove and he felt obligated to keep her company. However, Olivia was oddly silent at the moment, deep in thought it seemed as she approached her home deep in the mountains, and he found his eyes shutting despite his best attempts to stay awake.

"I need to stop and get gas." Olivia suddenly declared, pulling off at an exit. "Shouldn't be too much longer until we get there after that."

"Hm…" Tom mumbled, his eyes snapping back open.

"Tom, just go to sleep." She said, a smile playing at her lips. "I don't care."

"No, no I'm fine, dear." He groggily looked around the bright lights of the gas station blurring in his vision.

"If you say so." She stopped the car, climbing out. "Be right back."

Tom watch her momentarily, but his eyes were shutting and he was losing the battle to stay awake. "Maybe just a brief moment…. To rest my eyes…" He thought lazily closing them and resting his head against the seat…..

When Olivia returned to the car from paying for the gas she found Tom asleep, curled up against the seat. She smiled to herself, pausing to watch him, he looked sweet when sleeping, peaceful even. He was actually drooling out of the corner of his mouth, getting a little on his shoulder from the position of his head against the seat.

Well, she couldn't have that. Introducing him to her mother was going to be traumatizing enough without a big drool mark on his shirt. She quickly went to her trunk and dug around until she found a towel and returned to her seat. She hesitated, not wanting to wake him, and gently eased the towel onto his shoulder.

He shifted a little, still asleep, and muttered under his breath, "Mmmph… Olivia…"

She tried her best not to laugh, apparently he was dreaming. She hoped it was a nice one. With another glance at her sleeping future husband she started the car again, turning down the music as not to disturb him, and headed back for the highway, continuing down the road in silence.

Tom did not remember falling asleep, nor was he sure how the towel managed to appear on his shoulder, nor why it was slightly damp. All he remembered was Olivia getting out to get gas and the next thing he knew she was shaking him awake.

"Sweetheart, we're here." She told him softly.

"Hm?" He opened his eyes and looked around in confusion. "Did I fall asleep?"

Olivia laughed, "Yes. Did you know you talk in your sleep sometimes?"

He smiled sheepishly, "Yes well, when we were midshipmen Mr. Mowett threatened to gag me in my sleep. Sorry."

She shrugged it off lightly, "No worries there, considering I have nightmares and scream. Besides, once I'm out you pretty much could walk a marching band through before I'd wake up." Olivia smiled, her eyes sparkling. "We're a good combination."

"I'm marrying the perfect woman, that's all." He grinned, leaning over and kissing her.

"No marriage talk from this point out okay?" She sighed, glancing at the house.

"We're going to a wedding, love." Tom pointed out.

"Yes, I meant no wedding talk about **_us_**. The last thing I need is Mother accusing me of 'stealing' her show." Olivia told him. She took the towel off his shoulder, wiping his mouth a bit, "You also drool."

"I do not." Tom argued.

"Why do you think this towel is damp?" She asked innocently.

"Well…" Tom trailed off, looking towards the house again. It was small, set back in the woods, in the dim lights he could see the paint was chipping slightly and the front door was open, with only a screen door with light spilling through. A tall middle-aged woman appeared in the doorway. She had blonde hair that was frizzed up making her head appear bigger than it was, and in Tom's opinion, far too much rouge and powder on her face.

Olivia saw her too and sighed, "Oh boy here we go…."

Tom smiled kindly, taking her hand and giving it a quick squeeze. "Courage, dear. She's your mother."

She rolled her eyes, getting out of the car, "Hi Mom."

"Hello dear, I was wondering when you were going to get here. Awful late, isn't it?" She looked her over critically. "And what have you done to your hair?"

Olivia ran her fingers through her hair, suddenly self-conscious. "Nothing…" She glanced over at Tom as he got out of the car after leaning back to shake the others awake. "Mama, this is Tom Pullings. Tom, this is my mother."

Her mother looked him over appraisingly before offering him a simpering smile. "So this is the young man who is my daughter's current little fling."

"Mom." Olivia gave her a sharp look and was thankful when the others got out of the car, distracting her mother for a moment. "This is Jack Aubrey, Stephen Maturin, and Will Blakeney. Tom's… cousins." She quickly covered.

"How do you do, madam?" Stephen bowed politely.

She smiled, "Well, it's late. Your grandmother is asleep, Livia. Go inside quietly and don't wake her."

"Where's everyone sleeping, Mama?" She asked, going to the trunk and beginning to hand out bags.

"Three of them can take your brother's room. He's staying at the resort these days so he doesn't have to drive up there for the 4am shift. And of course Tom will stay with you." She said, watching her daughter handle the luggage.

Tom's eyes widened slightly and he looked sharply at the woman. Surprised that a mother would allow her unmarried daughter to share her bed so freely. Olivia caught his eye and shrugged slightly, letting him know she didn't mind as she handed him his bag.

"Come on then, I'll show you all upstairs." Olivia said. "Mama you may as well go back to bed. I got it."

"Of course, make yourself at home." With that her mother headed back inside, the screen door shutting behind her.

Olivia silently led them back in the house, they were all tired and Blakeney could barely walk straight, yawning. They went upstairs were there were three doors. Olivia opened one, turning on the lights and glancing in. There was a bunk bed and air mattress on the floor, all of which were made. "Wow she prepared." She muttered. "Okay, here you go. Bathroom's down the hall. See you in the morning."

Tom covered his yawn, "Goodnight gentlemen." He said before following Olivia across the hall to her own room.

Olivia paused in the doorway, her hand lingering on the light switch. He glanced over at her, wondering what she was thinking of.

"Olivia?" He asked gently.

She shook herself out of whatever daze she was in and turned on the lights to a little room. Unlike her apartment room this room seemed far more barren. There was only room really for a bed and a dresser, a few pictures on the small table beside the bed but that was really it.

"Olivia, do you want me to sleep elsewhere?" He asked hesitantly.

She shook her head, "No you're fine." She set down her bag. "Left side or right?" She asked.

"Um… left." He said, setting his bag down as well and turning to see that she was covering up a yawn, "You should sleep, love, you look tired."

Olivia nodded, going to her bag and pulling out the clothes she used for sleeping. Then to his surprise she began to change right on the spot.

"Olivia!" He quickly turned around, his face a deep shade of red. He was going to have a hard enough time in the same room with her, she didn't have to make it even harder for him to be a gentleman.

She sighed, teasingly tossing her shirt at him. "Tom honestly, I'm exhausted and at this point I really don't care."

He still kept his back to her, waiting for her to finish blushing furiously. After a few moments he felt her touch on his arm, and turned slightly. "I'm finished dear, you can turn around."

Tom turned and smiled at her, she was dressed in her usual figure hugging top and shorts to sleep in but she still looked lovely to him. He gave her a quick kiss, "Happy to be home?"

"This isn't home for me, Tom. Never really was." She sighed, sitting on the bed. "I may have grown up here, but I never really belonged you know?"

He nodded, understandingly. "I know exactly what you mean. I never really felt I belonged on my father's farm. I am far more comfortable at sea."

"And I'm more comfortable on the stage with a full house." She replied, smiling to herself.

"That sounds terrifying, my dear." He teased, embracing her for a moment and kissing her happily. "I can't imagine being in front of all those people."

"You have stage fright?" Olivia asked, raising an eyebrow amused. "Well, I think I'm bold enough for the both of us." She teased, moving closer, kissing him seductively.

"Mmph.. Olivia… we're at your mother's house with the others just on the other side of this rather sketchy looking wall." He reminded her, reluctant to admit that once again their situation made making love quite impossible.

"Oh yeah and my grandmother's room is right below us… damn it." She sighed and looked up at him, frustration and impatience obvious in her expression.

Tom sighed as well, knowing her frustration very well. "Why don't you go to bed, love? You look exhausted."

"I have to wash my face first. I'll be back." Olivia headed to the bathroom closing the door behind her.

Tom quickly changed, quite shy and not wanting to expose himself to the lady, though he highly doubted she cared. He sat on the end of the bed, waiting until Olivia got back to go brush his own teeth. He knew if he did not Olivia may complain. The bathroom was actually smaller than the one in her apartment, with only a shower rather than a tub. He brushed his teeth and washed his face, yawning as he headed back to her room. He was tired as well. He came in to find Olivia curled up on the right side of the bed, she appeared to be asleep and he smiled, content to watch her for a moment. He carefully climbed in on his side, not wanting to disturb her. However, the moment he settled in Olivia rolled over and curl up next to him, her head resting on his chest.

"Mmm this is nice." She said softly.

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer, tracing her curves under the thin layer of clothes. She could have no idea how much he wanted her at that moment. Her body was far more defined and lean than any other woman he'd ever known, however she was also soft and inviting, and he loved that about her. Just being near her was intoxicating. He also loved the way she never gave in limply to his kisses, and wondered what it would be like to….

No. He couldn't think about that right now. He had to control himself, however hard it was and however much it tormented him. "It is." He agreed in a strange choked voice as he prayed she didn't notice the effect she was having on him.

However, she giggled, her eyes opening and looking up at him. "So I can tell." She lightly brushed her hand over his bulge, teasing him cruelly.

"Olivia!" He choked. "Never do that unless we can…. continue."

She sighed, knowing it was impossible while her grandmother was downstairs right below them. The woman had radar for this type of thing and though she wanted to she knew that would not be the best way to introduce Tom to the less than welcoming members of the family. "Sorry, love. Forgive me?" She looked up at him sweetly.

He grinned, "Always." He kissed the top of her head. "For someday I will certainly want your attention. For now though, love, you should sleep."

She nodded, yawning on cue. "Night." She muttered, closing her eyes and relaxing against him into a sleep.

Tom watched her for a while, happy to see her relaxed for once. She always felt so good when he held her like this, as if she were meant to be there, just his forever. He was glad for this trip away from her school and her jobs, for ever since her classes started he felt as though he never saw her. She was always busy, running from one thing to the next or working into the small hours of the morning just to stay caught up. This trip was hardly relaxing for her. A new stepfather, a family she could barely stand, and this place had to bring up bad memories, but at least he had some time with her and that was something. At this moment he was just happy to be with her, alone in this room, where he could hold her and embrace her freely, even if they could go no further.

He kissed her gently on her forehead, holding her tight. "I've missed you." He whispered, not intending her to hear.

Olivia sighed, sleepily, "Love you.." She muttered, whether she was awake or not Tom could not tell but he smiled happily at her admission.

"I love you too." He said softly, before closing his eyes and drifting off into a blissful sleep with the woman he loved in his arms.

* * *

A/N: Haha believe it or not I wrote this in two days. I had started and written seven pages on this chapter before getting completely stuck and after whining about it to Jacky, also known as Elessar King, I decided to go a different direction and started over completely. Two days later I'm ready to post! Haha so I guess the new direction is the way to go! Sorry about the long wait, but I think I'm over my wall now. And my last day of work was Friday so I should be more motivated now! Whoo! Again a million apologies and I shall strive to do better in the future.

So Olivia's home for her mother's wedding to her former prom date… how messed up is that? Poor thing she just can't get a break. But at least she got some cuddle time with Tom. Sigh. Who wouldn't like that?

And so my dears, will Tom survive meeting Olivia's family? Will Olivia survive four days with them? Will a visit to Olivia's hometown reveal even more to Tom about her past? Will they all get drunk and go snipe hunting? Stay tuned to find out!

**_Miss Coconuts: _**Haha thanks for the praise m'dear! I'm glad you liked To Wives and Sweethearts and I'm pleased you're enjoying this one as well. It came from a lot of crazy discussions and jokes and I just had to write it. I had no idea when I started this whole series on a dare that it would grow into this monster of a story. Thanks for the kudos bar and I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

**_ArcherofDarkness and Callie_**: Tom danced just for you. I made him do it. He performed the part of the Sugar Plum Fairy from Nutcracker. Hope your tournament went well and I'm sorry I kept you waiting on this chapter. I'm never motivated to work when I'm working over the summer. Luckily when I'm student teaching I'm very motivated so when I get a real job I should be able to write tons! Whoo! Now one more semester of school so bum bum bum we'll see! Normally I write lots at school as we should be good. Hope you enjoyed the new chapter dead! Thanks for sticking with me!

**_Angel of the Night Watchers: _**Haha I'm glad you thought my middle schoolers were believable. I've taught them, but I haven't been one for a while. I like Marian. She's definitely going to have to be in later chapters. Sorry the update took so long. I'm a little slow over the summer aren't I? Well actually this chapter was produced in two days but the first chapter I started writing got me horribly stuck so I had to start over and go a different direction. I think the fact I wrote this whole sucker as soon as I finished work really shows that the job I had zapped all the creative energy from my brain. Now I'm good so hopefully next time I'll update sooner! Thanks for sticking around and hope you enjoyed the update.

**_Sfinx: _**Haha oh no never finished! I keep thickening the plot! I'm weird like that! Glad you liked the Blakeney chapter, it was fun to write once I got into it hehe. Hope you enjoyed the update and do review again! Thanks m'dear! Sorry it took so long.

**_Miss Flossy: _**Okay Flossy, I updated. So now it's your turn hehe! Mowett will be happy to know poor Tom is _still _not getting any in my story. They're cuddling but no dice… poor Tom. I think the poor man is going to explode if I keep this up. But getting down with the grandmother below them is not a good idea. Besides, the poor chick is tired from all that driving I'm sure. But they are in West Virginia…. so surely they'll find somewhere isolated later…. Mwahahaha we shall see. Haha so this is the rewrite after I got on where with the sappy romantic evening chapter. Jump write into the messed up family! Hope you enjoy the start of this fiasco! Can't wait to read your next chapter and I'm glad you're feeling better! Email you soon I promise and looking forward to your update m'dear!

**_Anyana: _**Welcome back! Sorry this took so long but here it is! At least I got it eventually eh? It's fun to be slightly geeky! I was never one to care what the other kids thing so it was much easier for me to have him hang with the "geeks" rather than the populars. Hope you enjoyed the update and sorry about the wait. Thanks for sticking with me dear! Night!

**_Adena27: _**Haha it's amazing how many of us "geeks" are out here. I think we should all form an army and start a revolution whoo! Oh but I wouldn't know… I'm cool right? (looks up to see if lightening bolts are striking down from the sky yet) Um… anyway… glad you love the story! And thanks for the review. Do hope you loved the new chapter! Sorry about the wait, I'll try to do better!

Eldarwen999: Haha she's not his girlfriend… yet. Though I do enjoy Marian and the rest of the bunch. Those are some cool kids right there. Tom's a monopoly fiend it seems. Wait until poker night mwahaha. Anyway, sorry this update is so long time coming. I do hope you enjoy this update and it was worth the wait. Thanks for the review and glad you liked the Blakeney chapter!

**_Et-spiritus-sancti: _**Glad you enjoyed the Blakeney chapter. He'll have more adventures with school life later in the story. Meanwhile, sadly the civics teacher is based loosely on one a teacher I had to work under in a student teaching experience whom I didn't like too much. He wasn't as bad as this teacher, but he wasn't the best teacher to learn from. Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the story thus far and I'm sorry you had to wait so long on this chapter. Hope it was worth the wait! Thanks for the review, you made me smile!

**_Sakai213: _**Wow such a compliment. I really don't know what to say! Thank you! I love Marian as a character. She's such a little smarty but she's a nice girl. Sorry this update took so long and I hope you didn't give up on me! Thanks for the kind words and I hope you liked the newest chapter.

**_ClaireRickman: _**Haha no not all American students say "like" but some do. Particularly the ditzy ones. I had a student who every other word was "like" and it drove me nuts. I actually challenged her one day to go the entire class without saying "like" and I'd give her extra credit and she couldn't do it. She was a sweet girl though and didn't mind my teasing. That's the good thing about being a teacher, you get to see the nice kids in all cliques. I'm glad Stephen is eating his veggies and do tell him that he won't be seeing any "properly" dressed women for a very long time. Sorry about the wait and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for the review as always, you made me smile.

**_Secret4eyes: _**Thanks for the review m'dear! Now….

Me: Dance! You heard them!

Tom: But….

Me: Dance!

Tom: sighs and starts performing the part of the Sugar Plum Fairy from the Nutcracker

There you go! He danced! Many thanks for the review and I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Sorry about the wait.

Franypants: I'm glad you enjoyed the Blakeney chapter and Tom danced the Nutcracker for you. He's doing well in school, such a nice boy he is. Hope you enjoyed this one too and didn't give up during the long wait! Sorry about that! I'll try to do better in the future. Thanks for the review!

Mary Anne Talbot: Haha another Blakeney fan eh? He's a little young for me but he's such a cute kid. I want a classroom full of kids just like him. None of mine ever behave that well. Thanks for the offer m'dear, if I think of some I'll email them to you. I think this wedding is going to be West Virginia in style. Pigs-in-a-blanket at the reception whoo! I would love to help you with your fanfics though I'm not sure how much help I'll be. But I love idea bouncing and so forth so feel free. Contact me at anytime. Tom does look good in a tutu. He has nice legs hehe…. As for them seeing Master and Commander sadly in this story universe the movie does not exist! Terrifying I know! But they can see the Hornblower movies so that should be fun! Sorry how long this took and hope you enjoyed the update despite the ridiculous amount of time it took me to get it here. Thanks for reviewing!

Norma Jean the Dancing Machine: He danced he danced! Haha you know how many reviewers said that? It's kind of scary! I'm glad you enjoyed the Blakeney chapter m'dear and I hope you enjoyed the update. Let Tom and Livs get married? Well you'll just have to wait and see won't you? It's no problem reading and reviewing your story, it was cute. Poor Tom. He gets abused so much by us writers. Hope to read more from you soon and hope you enjoyed the update! Sorry it took so long and thanks for the review!

Thanks for all the reviews guys. Next time Tom will dance Swan Lake. Oooh I like the music in that. He'd do it right now but um… after this chapter he's kind of taking a cold shower. And thinking unsexy thoughts. Poor guy. It'd be too cruel to make him wear tights right now. Once he's calmed down a minute and if I get reviews asking for it we'll have him dance again.

Again, sorry I took so long here. Hopefully I'll update sooner next time! No, in fact I **_will _**update sooner next time! Thanks a lot guys for all the kind words. I'm really overwhelmed here! Until next time m'dears, happy reading!


	15. Chapter Fifteen

Ladies and Gentlemen! I am not dead! Here is a much overdue update! Hope you all haven't given up on me!

Chapter Fifteen

Tom Pullings was sleeping quite happily with his lovely future bride in his arms, when he was pulled out of his pleasant dreams by what seemed to be a body jumping onto the bed and flopping down between him and Olivia.

"LIVIE!" Tom opened his eyes, jerking awake in shock, to see a young man tackle Olivia.

His first reaction was protective of course, and he immediately moved to pull the man off her, jerking him rather roughly up by the trousers and pushing him to the floor with a crash. "I say sir! Explain yourself!" He was up immediately ready to defend her with his life, and was startled to hear her laughing. He turned to see her green eyes shining as she doubled over in mirth at the sight, and upon getting a better look at the 'attacker' he could see something very familiar in the young man's face...

"Jesus Livie, you're boyfriend a green beret or something?" The young man complained, rubbing his head and glaring at Tom with an insulted look.

"Just a sailor, Danny, and that serves you right, you should knock." She replied, grinning. "Tom, it's okay, this little weirdo is my baby brother."

"Oh." Tom wondered what on earth a grown man could be thinking, bursting into a lady's room and tackling her in the wee hours of the morning, but these people seemed to do strange things, and so he offered the man a hand up. "My apologies sir, I thought-"

Danny accepted his hand up, grinning cheekily, "Good to know my sister has such a bodyguard." He said, plopping on the bed and looking up at his sister. "You're bed is way more comfortable than mine."

"Then why don't you just move in here, Danny? It's not like I live here or anything." Olivia asked, poking her brother in the ribs and sitting up.

"Pshpt. You think I want to live in this house with Grandmama-wacko, mother dearest, and step-daddy who was my sister's former boyfriend? Naw, I'm much better off at the lodge." He gave his sister a grin. "I can have as much sex as I want there."

Tom blushed at the comment, so ungentlemanly of this man to bring up such matters to a lady, especially his sister, but he had heard Olivia and her friends enough to know that this sort of talk was hardly unusual.

Olivia rolled her eyes, "Just promise me you won't get some stripper pregnant will you? This family could already be a whole hour on Dr. Phil."

"Two hours. In fact Livs, I think mom's new marriage could give us a week long special." Danny rolled his eyes.

"Ug. Don't remind me." She groaned. "Jordan Killigan…. I can't believe it."

"Yeah Livie, please tell me you didn't sleep with him? Because if my sister lost her virginity to my step-father…"

Olivia froze for a second, and Tom could tell that comment did not go over to well due to the past abuse she had suffered at the hands of one of her mother's previous husbands. Danny obviously took know notice of this and he looked at his sister with a raised eyebrow, "Oh geez, Livs, please tell me you and Killigan didn't-"

She smacked him with her pillow. "No Danny! Geez!" She rolled her eyes. "That's not to say Killigan didn't try, the pawing little weasel, but I wouldn't let him go very far." She smirked at her brother. "I'm a **_lady_**."

Danny blinked then cracked up laughing. "Yeah sure you are **_Olivia_**. Guess what, you're from Ellison Heights, West Virginia. You may try to play the elegant, snooty, opera diva, but I know you better." He pinched her cheek, and she smacked him upside the head.

Tom watched the exchange between brother and sister feeling somewhat on the outside. He knew Olivia had always protected her brother when they were children, remembering what her Aunt had told him, and he was not entirely sure what to think of Daniel Corin at the moment.

Danny looked up at Tom a moment, "So…. who's your boyfriend?"

"I emailed you, butt-face. What, you have a short-term memory or something?" She poked her brother hard in the side.

"Oh, the English dude… I thought you dumped him." He said with a shrug. "You go through them so fast."

"You're one to talk. And I'll have you know Tom and I are in a serious relationship." She smiled, reaching out and taking Tom's hand, which he gladly gave her and sat down on the bed next to her, grinning stupidly. "Very serious in fact." Olivia leaned over and kissed now blushing Tom, who smiled at this announcement in spite of his embarrassment at the showy public display of affection in front of her brother.

"Eww… gross… Livia, I just ate!" Danny groaned. "Break it up!" He wedged himself between his sister and Tom. "I thought you were a **_lady _**so big Miss Bigshot?"

Olivia laughed at her brother's over-dramatic reaction. "We're in **_love_**, Danny. Ever been there? Or do you prefer to stick to the one-night-stand-oh-my-gosh-I-would-never-touch-you-sober relationships?"

"Those work well for me, thanks sis." He rolled his eyes. "So you guys really are serious?" He said, looking from Tom to his sister with a suspicious eye.

Olivia paused a moment, glancing at Tom and then to her brother. "Danny, can you keep a secret?"

"You're pregnant, aren't you?" He said, quite seriously with a heavy sigh. "I knew it… I just knew that would happen to you."

"God Danny! No I'm not pregnant!" She slapped her brother upside the head again. "Why does everyone think that? Do I look fat?"

"Well you are an opera singer." Her brother gave her a vicious poke, looking relieved to hear she was not pregnant.

"Of course not!" Tom protested, ignoring her brother's teasing. "There's not an extra pound on you, my dear. If anything, you're too thin because you never eat proper meals unless I force you." Olivia's busy schedule often was so hectic that she forgot to eat, and Tom worried about her health constantly, fussing at her to eat at least a proper dinner that he was more than happy to prepare.

"You force feed my sister?" Danny raised an eyebrow, giving Tom a dark look.

"He's just trying to make sure I don't forget to eat and collapse from starvation, Danny, calm down." Olivia poked her brother, getting his attention again.

"Whatever Livs." Danny turned back to her, studying her carefully. "So what's this secret?"

Olivia smiled, reaching across her brother and taking Tom's hand again. "We're going to get married." She announced.

Tom smiled, exchanging a look with her over Danny's head. This was the first person she had told about their engagement and he was pleased to hear her announce it. Although he would not admit it, the fact that she refused to tell anyone about their impending wedding bothered him. He feared deep down she truly did not want to marry him and was looking for a way out. Hearing her announce their engagement to her brother was a start and he positively beamed at her, smiling like a schoolboy.

"You're what?" Danny sat up straight staring at his sister. "What are you, mom?"

"That's low, Danny." Olivia replied. "You know I'm nothing like Mama, and I wouldn't get engaged unless I'm sure."

He studied his sister a moment, Tom shifted nervously. "I assure you my intentions have been nothing but honorable in regards to your sister, sir."

"Uh huh." He sat up, looking Tom over with an appraising eye before turning his attention back to his sister. "Livs, Mom wants to see you downstairs."

"You are such a liar, bro." Olivia rolled her eyes. "You just want me to leave so you can give Tom your "you hurt my little sister I'll kill you dead" speech."

"Yeah, now go away." Danny said, giving her a teasing shove, but his grin did not quite reach his eyes.

Olivia lazily stretched, yawning, "Fine, fine. Tom, he's going to give you this speech eventually, may as well let him get it over with. Just smile and nod so he can feel big." She joked, pulling her bathrobe over her usual sleepwear.

"Goodbye Olivia." Danny said, shoving his sister out the door.

"Play nice!" She called over her shoulder, smiling to herself as she headed downstairs.

Danny immediately became serious and Tom stood to speak with the man, feeling awkward. From what he heard Olivia's brother Daniel would be the head of the household and he felt guilty for not asking for her hand properly.

"So let me get right down to it." Danny looked him over again, his eyes narrow. "Are you serious about my sister? Or just playing her?"

"I assure you, sir, my intentions are honorable, and I have nothing but respect for her." Tom assured him, desperately wishing he was at least dressed for this conversation and not still in his bedclothes. "And I do want to marry her, more than anything."

His expression changed for a moment as he apprised the man who had his sister's affections. "You know, my sister's never had it easy. She's got a lot of issues going on there. More than meets the eye."

"I know." Tom replied. "Or rather… I am learning."

"She does like you though, she sounds happier than I've heard her in a long time." Danny admitted.

He blushed slightly, smiling a little. "I want her to be happy."

"You hurt her I'll kill you and make it look like an accident."

Tom blinked, he had not expected that. "What?"

His expression went from dead serious to a wide grin. "What? Come on, I was **_kidding_**." He laughed, slapping poor Tom on the shoulder. "Lighten up, man!"

Tom offered him a weak smile, "Very amusing." He managed, deciding Daniel Corin was highly unstable.

"Yeah it's amusing, it'll be amusing when I blow your head off." He replied, seriously again.

Tom looked back at him dumbfounded, wondering if this man was touched in the head.

"I got you again, Tom!" He laughed. "It's funny! Yeah it's funny… it's funny that I have a gun and-"

"**_DANIEL CORIN!_**" Olivia's voice rang out from downstairs, interrupting her brother. "**_QUIT THREATENING TO SHOOT TOM AND ALL OF YOU COME TO BREAKFAST!"_**

"Always so polite, my sister." Daniel rolled his eyes, turning and heading downstairs.

Tom paused for a moment to reflect on what just happened. He truly now believed Olivia when she made questioning comments on her family's sanity. Daniel Corin, he perceived, was highly unstable and an odd young man.

Tom headed down the stairs and followed the sound of voices into the already crowded kitchen. Everyone was already there, the Captain and Doctor were seated at the table in the corner trying to eat their food politely, complimenting the cooking of an elderly woman who was glaring daggers at everyone in the room and muttering under her breath. Blakeney was trying his best to go unnoticed, watching all commotion with wide eyes looking very lost and confused.

Olivia was arguing with her mother while angrily stirring something on the stove. She obviously was not paying attention to what she was doing for she was splashing whatever it was everywhere. Danny was seated at the table while his mother set a plate of eggs in front of him, not appearing to pay much mind to whatever she and Olivia were arguing over.

"Ma! I'm not wearing that dress!" Olivia said, turning to glare at her mother.

"Why not dear? Danny-love, you want some juice?" She asked.

"It's pink!" Olivia replied. "Tom, you want some biscuits and gravy?"

"Certainly, thank you." He smiled at her before turning his attention to her mother, and the elderly woman he amused was her grandmother. "Good morning ladies, gentlemen." He greeted, trying to sound cheerful.

He received a critical eye and a grunt from the grandmother, and a smile from the mother, who did not reply but instead turned her attention back to Olivia. "But Livia, you look so good in pink!" She gave Tom a smile that was positively simpering. "Doesn't she look lovely in pink, Tom?"

He froze, glancing from the smiling mother to Olivia who was glaring and looked quite grumpy. There was absolutely no good way to answer that question, but from the silence in the kitchen it was apparent that he would have to try. "Um… well…. she looks lovely in everything." He managed.

Danny snorted as he took a sip of his juice. "Good one."

Olivia promptly turned and smacked her brother with a dishcloth. "Smartass."

"Olivia Corin don't hit your brother!"

"Ma! Livia's abusing me!" Danny whined, teasing his sister.

"Olivia, I dislike that language! Mind your tongue, girl!" Her grandmother commanded from her seat. Her voice was low, and her accent made it so Tom had to concentrate to understand her, but the cold scolding was evident.

Olivia sighed, "I was only joking Grandmother." She defended herself.

"Mind your tongue." She repeated, going back into her silent scowling in the corner.

"Olivia, don't upset your Grandmother. And it's too late to get new dresses. You'll have to wear what I have. Be thankful we can have such nice things." Her mother scolded.

She rolled her eyes, setting her own plate down and pulling up a chair. "Fine." She was in a bad mood, that much as evident, and Tom made a mental note to tread carefully today. "Is there a rehearsal dinner tonight, Mama? Or have you done this enough you could get married in your sleep?" She snapped.

Everyone at the table stopped moving and all present stared at Olivia. Her tone had been sharp and had a razor edge to it and no one could mistake the malice behind her words. It was suddenly very quiet and Tom awkwardly gave her a sideways glance to see that she was glaring across the table at her mother with the coldest look he had ever seen on her face.

"Do you got something to say to me, Olivia?" Her mother asked, breaking the awkward silence at last.

"I got **_plenty _**to say, Mother, but you never listen." She answered, her green eyes flashing a warning of her temper.

Suddenly, her grandmother piped up, causing everyone at the table to jump in alarm. She shrilly jumped to her feet and began shouting at Olivia in rapid Hungarian. Tom's eyes widened as she went on and on in a high pitched cackle, and had absolutely no idea what she was saying but he could tell it was certainly not positive.

Olivia jumped to her feet as well, her self-control gone and her temper flared up in a way that Tom rarely saw. Her Hungarian was somewhat slower, obviously she had to put a bit more thought behind it, but from the look on her mother and brother's faces, it was probably not polite. The shouting match continued until they both suddenly turned and stormed from the room. Olivia out the back door and her grandmother out of the room and back into what Tom assumed to be her bedroom, slamming the door with Olivia's mother hot on her heels.

"What the devil was **_that_**?" Jack exclaimed after a moments pause to recover from the shock.

Daniel rolled his eyes, "The preferred method Livia and our Grandmother use to communicate. Yelling and cursing in Hungarian."

"If they cannot solve their differences in a more civilized manner can they at least do it in softer tones and in English?" Stephen asked, rubbing his ear as he had been seated next to the old woman.

"Grandmother can yell faster in Hungarian, and as for Livia, well, I'm not sure she knows any Hungarian but insults and swear words." He joked lamely before turning to Will, who was doing his best not to laugh. It was rather amusing in a way, seeing an old woman scream and yell and wave her arms about like a deranged chicken. "Can you pass the butter?"

"You don't seem terribly upset by all this." Tom observed of Daniel.

"Who me? Naw… Livs and Grandmother do that all the time. Ever since Livia was like, twelve and started standing up for herself they get into fights. Just be thankful you don't know what they were saying, trust me, it'd make a sailor blush." He replied, taking the butter and slathering it onto a piece of toast.

"Where did she go?" He asked, getting up to look out the window to see if he could spot her.

"Back upstairs probably. The place has a front door you know." Daniel shrugged, seemingly uninterested. Sure enough they soon hear the slamming of a door and the pounding of forceful footsteps on the stairs.

Tom hesitated, unsure if following her was a good idea but hating the idea of her being along when she was upset. With a sigh he briefly fanaticized of the days before he knew of her confusing past and strange family members and her mood was far more cheerful and less, well, sulky. He knew it was an awful thought to even admit having, and he still loved her dearly, but handling her temper and breaking through her shell to get her to talk to him was exhausting work, and he was not sure he had gotten enough sleep that night to have the energy and quickness of mind to deal with her.

He slowly sat back down at the table, deciding to at least give her some time to cool off before speaking to her again. He looked around the table, receiving questioning glances from all present, except Olivia's brother, who was chuckling at the comic strip that involved a fat cat and a man who seemed to have horrible luck with the ladies, and gave them all a tight smile, "Sir, could you kindly pass me the-"

He never had the chance to finish asking for the butter, for a large crash upstairs caused them all to jump. This was quickly followed by a string of swear words from Olivia. "FUCK! GOD DAMN IT! THAT HURT!"

Daniel glanced up, laughed a little, and went back to his reading. "She is such a drama-bitch." He declared to himself.

"Mr. Pullings, perhaps you ought to make sure Miss Corin did not er…. seriously injure herself?" The Doctor suggested, cringing at the lady's choice of words.

Tom paused, "Forgive me sir, but you have medical expertise, perhaps you should go?" He knew it was horrible, but he honestly did not want to get the front blast of her wrath at the moment.

"You're her betrothed." He pointed out, smiling a little at the man's obvious fear of the woman when she was in a mood.

"Damn." Tom muttered, finally rising from his seat. "Very well gentlemen." Another series of crashes and swear words followed and he cringed again. "Wish me luck." He sighed once more.

"You're gonna need it." Daniel muttered.

Tom chose to ignore that and slowly headed up the stairs, knocking on Olivia's door cautiously. "Olivia? Dear? Are you all right?"

There was no reply, and the room was eerily silent. He knocked again, "Olivia, may I come in?"

"Yes." Her reply was soft, but her mood had certainly not improved.

Tom pushed the door open and saw her seated on the bed, now dressed for the day and cradling her hand. The table beside the bed had been pushed over and he could tell that was the source of the crash. "Dear, are you all right?" He asked. "What did you do to your hand?"

Olivia looked up, quickly wiping her eyes in an attempt to hide her tears. "I mashed it in the closet door. Stupid of me really."

"Let me see." He came over kneeling before her and taking her hand. Tom gently ran his thumb over her knuckle, noting her fingers were showing signs of bruising, glancing up into her face to try to gage what was in her head. "Are you all right?"

She sighed, shrugging her shoulders. "They get to me. I know it shouldn't bother me by now, and I know it's never going to change, but they still get to me." She looked away, out the small window at the trees blowing in the wind outside, as if gathering her thoughts. "Every time I come here I hope things will be different this time, you know? But it never changes. It's always the same thing. My mother is always going to hit on and marry any man in sight, and my grandmother is always going to despise me simply for being."

He had no idea what to say and so he just sat there, listening, giving her time to voice her thoughts.

She took her hand back and crossed her arms in front of her, assuming her ever protective stance. "You know," She said with a short bitter laugh. "When I was little I used to play house, and I'd pretend I had the perfect family. You know, the mother and father and two kids with a dog, and everyone got along and no one fought or hurt each other. There was a family like that in town, living in a pretty little house with a white picket fence all around, I used to go there when, well, when things got bad around here, and I'd hide in a tree behind their backyard and watch, pretending I was a member of their family and they were wondering where I was." She shook her head, "Stupid I know. No one is perfect."

Tom watched her, quite frankly confused out of his mind. This woman was the most complicated creature he had ever met and the more he knew her, the more layers were revealed. She was strong, that much was clear, but she was also fragile. Everyone had their breaking points, and obviously hers were caused by her family. "No, it's a beautiful dream." He told her earnestly.

Olivia studied him a moment, "I've run from my past for so long, but I always somehow end up back here." She rolled her eyes, looking away again. "One of my brilliant therapists I used to go to once told me I carried my baggage around and used it like a shield, or an excuse to hold myself back. Maybe that's true, I don't know, but he also told me I hide from myself, and that is true. When I'm singing, when I'm on stage, I'm not me at all, but someone else. I know it sounds stupid."

He smiled slightly, reaching out and taking her hand, "Why would you want to be anyone but my Olivia?"

"And do you know who I really am, Tom? Truly?" She asked quite calmly.

"I…." He was honestly confused by her question, and he knew this conversation was quite serious and did not want to say something foolish. She needed reassuring right now, he could tell, and so he caught her chin and turned her face back to him, cupping her cheek in his hand. "Olivia Corin, you can be stubborn, vulgar, emotional, and quite frankly love, a pain in the arse at times. You push me to near insanity and fits of jealousy I never knew myself capable of."

She raised an eyebrow, listening intently, surprised to hear him naming off her flaws that she was very much aware of having and hated herself for.

"But…" He kissed her forehead, lingering a moment. "You're also kind, confident, loving, and capable of a passion I have never once seen in a single soul. You have friends who adore you, talent that is, if I may say so, a gift from the Almighty, and I love you with every breath of my body. I wish I could give you the world, you deserve every inch of it, and I wish I could make all the past troubles disappear, but I know I cannot do either of those. And honestly, love, I wish I could challenge your step-fathers to a duel and settle revenge in an honorable fashion but I-"

He stopped as she laughed, throwing herself forward into his arms. He held her tightly for a moment, feeling some of the tension dissolve from her body as she melted against him, and he smiled, kissing her hair and rubbing her back soothingly. "Everything will be fine, sweetheart, you'll see."

"As long as you're with me I know it will." She whispered. "What would I do without you?"

"Eat nothing but frozen and canned foods for one thing." He teased.

"Hey!" She protested. "I can cook breakfast, you know. Eggs are my specialty!"

"Oh really?" He let go of her a little to meet her eyes, a smirk forming on his face.

"Really!" She raised her chin, returning his smile. "I'll make you breakfast sometime and prove you wrong mister."

He gave her a mocking little bow. "I look forward to is, miss."

Olivia rolled her eyes, standing up and stretching. "All right, what do you say we go for a walk around town and see where we end up? Get the others, they can come too as I think leaving home with my mother and my grandmother is not a wise idea."

Tom tilted his head to the side, confused. "I doubt they'd try to argue with them, dear." He pointed out.

"No." Olivia sighed. "I'm more concerned about my mother hitting on them."

Tom paused, knowing that the Captain did not exactly have the best record for celibacy in the navy. "Lovely." He muttered. "Yes, dear, I think that would be wise." He admitted. "You wash up." He kissed her again. "I'll go get them."

Olivia nodded, "All right. Thanks Tom, for everything."

"Of course, dear." He said, as if everything he had said was nothing. She watched as he left to go back downstairs, smiling to herself, knowing that at least one choice she had made in her life was the correct one, and she was learning that more each day.

When Tom arrived in the kitchen he found that Olivia's grandmother had returned and now was speaking to Daniel in Hungarian again, then occasionally would turn to Jack or Stephen and say something, as if asking a question. Stephen was watching and listening with mild interest, while Jack on the other hand looked quite annoyed.

"Mr. Corin, would you **_kindly _**tell your Grandmother I have absolutely **_no_** idea what she is saying?" Jack asked, still smiling through gritted teeth trying desperately to be polite.

"I think she knows, dude. She's mocking you." Daniel said with a grin, amused by his Grandmother's rather warped sense of humor.

"I say! That is terribly rude!" Jack grumbled, in a huff, annoyed at the world. He hated the room they were staying in. He hated how rude Miss Corin's grandmother was being, the eggs the mother made were burnt, although granted Mrs. Corin, or whatever last name she went by, he could not quite recall because from what Olivia had told him earlier the woman had been through several husbands already, was a rather attractive woman who had been quite attentive and greeted him most kindly, he still could not help but feel that an engaged woman ought to behave with more…. well… modesty.

Tom silently joined them at the table after pouring himself a cup of coffee, taking a sip he found it to be far too weak, but he had a feeling he was going to need it so he continued to drink, watching the conversation in silence, not wanting to call the wrath of Olivia's grandmother onto him.

Jack Aubrey glared at the old woman, who was still talking to her grandson, then looked at Tom, quite cross. "I must ask, Mr. Pullings, are you sure you want to marry into this family?"

The elderly woman froze and stared at Mr. Pullings, her eyes going wide, as did Daniel, but more with an amused smirk than the glare his grandmother was giving him. Tom choked on his coffee, his eyes going wide. His first thought was, _'Oh dear Lord, Olivia is going to kill me.'_ He looked up slowly, setting him cup down, wondering whether he should deny their engagement, or confirm, and so he chose not to say anything at all.

"You…." The elderly woman struggled for words. "You going to marry Olivia?" She asked, finally switching to her heavily accented English.

Tom paused, licking his lips, well it was out there now, no use lying about it now, though he was sure this was not how Olivia had been planning on telling her family. "Yes, ma'am, I am."

She studied him coldly a moment, as if assessing him, sizing him up. He stared back evenly, refusing to be intimidated by a small elderly woman. Suddenly she let out a shriek that echoed through the entire house. **_"ILONA!"_** And with that she stormed off in search of Olivia's mother.

Daniel whistled, "Good job, Pullings. Grandmother doesn't like you."

"I highly doubt that woman likes **_anyone_**." Jack grumbled bitterly. "Though, Tom, I am terribly sorry. I know you and Miss Corin were trying to keep things quiet."

"Oh I don't mind, sir, they were going to find out eventually anyway. Though… I do think Olivia will be quite annoyed, perhaps you should apologize to her."

"**_OLIVIA MARIE CORIN!"_**

They all froze as a woman shouted from somewhere in the house, and Jack felt extremely guilty. Daniel on the other hand, snickered. "Oooh is she gonna **_get_** it!"

"Get what?" Stephen asked curiously.

They all looked at him blankly a moment.

"I am serious gentlemen, get what?" He asked, scowling.

"I believe "it" is an expression, sir." Blakeney offered an explanation with an amused smile. He was learning more about these expressions from school, and was beginning to use them more in his daily life.

The Doctor never got the chance to reply, for Miss Corin entered the kitchen looking utterly perplexed.

"Would someone please tell me why my Grandmother is threatening to send me off to a convent?" Olivia asked, glancing from one face to the next, arms crossed.

Daniel got up from his seat, leaning over and giving his sister a peck on the cheek. "Words out on your little engagement, Livs. Good luck, big sis." With a grin he practically bounced out of the room.

Olivia raised an eyebrow and turned to Tom. "What did you do?"

"I'm terribly sorry, Miss Corin." Jack rose from his seat, apologizing. "I am the one to blame. Mentioned your betrothal in passing and your grandmother heard."

"Oh for the love of Pete!" Olivia groaned, sinking into a chair.

Stephen raised an eyebrow, observing the conversation around him. "Who, pray tell, is Pete?"

Olivia turned to give him a look of mixed amusement and annoyance. "What?"

"Who is Pete?" He repeated his question, curiously.

She rolled her eyes, ignoring the question. "Anyway…"

"No, Olivia, who is Pete?" Tom asked, wondering himself.

She sighed, trying to control the pounding headache that was forming from all the drama and strange questions. "No one, it's just an expression."

"I thought you knew a young man named Pete." Tom pointed out, frowning.

"Tom! Seriously! It's an expression! Next time would you rather I say 'for the love of Tom'?" She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, clearly agitated.

He smirked slightly, amused despite himself. "I might."

"Tom, be serious." Olivia sighed.

"They were going to find out eventually, sweetheart. I really don't see-"

At that moment her mother stormed in, eyes blazing wildly as she glared at her daughter. Olivia glared right back and the tension in the room was enough to make anyone squirm. Tom noted just how much their glares were similar, and could see the family resemblance quite obviously at that moment, but chose not to comment as he doubted right then it would be appreciated.

"Olivia, I called you." Her mother snapped, arms crossed defensively in front of her as she attempted to stare down her daughter.

"I heard you." Olivia replied, coolly.

"Why must everything be about you, Olivia? Answer me that." She demanded.

Olivia's jaw dropped in shock, "About me? Mother, when has anything **_ever _**been about me!"

"I think I'll go… away… come Jack, Blakeney." Stephen wanted to be anywhere but there right at that moment, and he imagined the others felt the same way but were too shocked to take action, so he herded them out of the room like sheep, leaving Olivia alone with her mother and Tom.

"Oh don't give me that shit." Her mother rolled her eyes. "I've seen this act, Olivia, the whole 'oh look at me I'm such a poor little abused child' act. It's getting old. I've done everything I could to try to make it up to you."

"Oh yeah Mom, that's real great. Ice cream makes up for the fact that your second husband tried to kill me, and for what Jim did, and for your mother making me feel completely worthless my entire life!" She shot back.

"That's not-!" She took a deep breath, calming herself to not yell. "That's not the point. The point is what do you think you're doing, getting engaged to a man you barely know."

"I've known Tom a Hell of a lot longer than you knew half your husbands, Mom." Olivia pointed out. "Don't you dare try to pull that one."

"You're abandoning your family!" She shouted, her face turning red. "Think of your brother, think of **_me_**, Olivia. You walked out once already, going off to that fancy school of yours, and barely looking back. What, do you think you're better than this? Do you think you can run away from your roots, your family, your life? You think you're better than me?"

Olivia raised her chin a little, her lower lip trembling slightly. "I **_am _**better."

Quick as a cat a hand lashed out and struck Olivia hard across the cheek with surprising strength. Tom, who had been standing quietly behind Olivia, observing the scene before him, now stepped forward, shielding Olivia protectively and now glaring at the woman. "Restrain yourself, madam."

Olivia's mother ignored him, glaring past him to her daughter with pure malice. "Don't you ever say that to me, Olivia Corin. Your father was worthless, and you're turning out to be just like him. Your place is here, and one day you'll realize that." With that she stormed off again, tossing her head and leaving an obviously shaken Olivia in her wake.

"She's wrong." Olivia said softly, watching her go, and rubbing her sore cheek.

Tom studied her carefully, and was surprised at how calm she seemed. "Dear, are you all right?" He asked.

Olivia nodded, "She's the only person I know who can turn my being engaged into an argument like that." She observed with a little laugh. "Could have been worse."

"Somehow I don't think she gave us her blessing." Tom pointed out.

"I don't need it, even if she does." Olivia smiled, taking her hand down and sliding under Tom's arm to embrace him warmly. "I'm marrying you because I love you, not because she wants me to. If I listened to my mother I'd be working at the lodge, married to some drunken redneck looking after three or four kids and telling my ex-husband why our four-year-old shouldn't go hunting with him, using very, very small words. Not exactly my idea of the future."

"And what is your idea of the future?" He asked, amused.

Olivia shrugged, "I don't know, but you're in it, and we're not here."

Tom laughed, "You are hardly particular, my dear." He teased.

"Beggars can't be choosy." She replied, casually. "Now, let's get out of here before my mother comes back, or my grandmother comes in. I want to go into town and see some people. And since word of our engagement is going to be out in about ten minutes through word of mouth and a tearful phone call by my mother, I'd like to introduce and show you off."

"Is that all I am to you, Olivia Marie? A prize?" He teased, using her middle name quite effectively.

"Best prize ever." She shot back, now laughing. "And use my middle name too much and you won't even be that." She joked.

He laughed, taking her hand and following her out the door, curious at what awaited them in the town.

* * *

A/N: Yes I know this took me forever to write. And I hate to say I think it will be equally as long until the next update. Quite frankly, I'm taking way too many classes and am shocked I have time even to post this. It's a pretty long chapter though. And confusing. Not my best work, sorry. Basically, the main idea of this chapter is Olivia has one messed up family. But we've already known that. Again, I apologize for the sap and Olivia's incredibly mood swinging. She's my ultimate "PMS" character I think.

Anyway, despite the lateness and lack of um… writing skill… in this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it. And I assure you I am still here, mucking through life. And I'll keep working on this story, albeit very slowly. Please keep your faith in me! I promise I'll post another chapter!

**_Sfinx_**: Reread while waiting for updates? Haha how many times did you have to reread while waiting for this one? I'm so sorry to keep you waiting so long! I agree this story is really hard on the guys, and Olivia's patience. And Tom officially drools in his sleep. Hehe. Hope you enjoyed this long overdue update! I'll try to do better in the future… but no promises.

**_Wing Pikepaw:_** Well they've been there a night and disaster has already occurred. Yes, Olivia's mother's wedding is going to be good for some entertainment. Just wait until you see what I have in store for the reception… mwahahahaha. I'm glad you enjoyed the Blakeney chapter and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. And again I'm so sorry it took me so long. Believe me I'd rather be working on this story than writing briefs for con law.

**_Lily_**: Hello m'dear! Haha I haven't had a chance to talk to you in a really long time. I told you I'd update eventually though didn't I? Well, here it is, take it or leave it. I'm a bit disappointed but it'd be cruel for me to redo it and make people wait another two months. Hope you enjoyed it anyway! Stephen was confused hehe. Again, sorry about the lateness of this update, and hope you enjoyed the new chapter, despite the lack of love interest for Stephen. Thanks for reviewing!

**_Mary Anne Talbot:_** I know, I know, I haven't emailed you back yet. I'm sorry. I figured I could either answer my emails or update tonight. Figured you'd rather have the update rather than my rambling emails. Hope you enjoyed the chapter, despite my abuse of the Hungarian language. Haha the whole Olivia's grandmother talking about Jack and the others in Hungarian while they're sitting there not understanding what she's saying is based on an experience I had in England where I was waiting for the bus and talking to the Austrian students and we'd be having a conversation in English then they'd turn to each other and talk in German. Made ma paranoid. That's an awkward feeling right there so I felt the need to make Jack uncomfortable. Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter and sorry it took so long to update!

**_ClaireRickman:_** What is the guy Olivia's mother is marrying thinking? He's a guy. They don't think. I'm convinced of that. Haha yes I tortured Stephen with carsickness. Strictly because I'm mean. Hope you enjoyed the update m'dear and sorry it took so long to update! Thanks for reviewing.

**_Franypants_**: I'm continuing I promise! It's just going to take me forever to finish… but hey, that means you have many months to look forward to right? Yes Tom is horny. Poor guy. I'm so mean in not letting him get laid. But they need to learn self-control. Haha your review made me laugh. Especially the part about Tom ripping through his pants and Olivia's. Haha thanks for that and thanks for reviewing. Sorry the update took me so long but I hope you enjoyed!

**_Ancatgaelige_**: Flossy's still around as far as I know. Just probably busy, like the rest of the world these days it seems. She was sick a while back too. Poor thing. Though we tend to update around the same time so keep a look out! If not we should all attack her because we all need our dosage of Pullings torture!

**_Eldarwen999_**: Haha yes Olivia's mom marrying her old prom date is seriously messed up. Wait until you meet the guy. The family members have many more tricks up their sleeves and will now be a recurring problem. Like Gary the stalker. Sorry this update took so long and thank you for reviewing! Hope you enjoyed!

**_Anyana_**: Hahaha Pullings the musical. LOL he should do Titanic or HMS Pinafore or something. Hehehehe. Oh dear. That's funny. Anyway, sorry the update took so long and thanks for reviewing! Hope you enjoyed!

**_ArcherofDarkness and Callie_**: Mmm grapes. I hope you love this chapter too. Sorry it took so long. This semester is trying to kill me. Seriously. I should just give up and accept less than perfection but I won't because I'm determined now. And the mother marrying the prom date is so very wrong, but so very amusing. Hope you enjoyed and sorry it took me so long again! Thanks for sticking with me here!

**_Angel of the Night Watchers:_** Haha you read my update through the pain of contacts. I'm honored! Olivia's mom marrying her prom date is indeed screwed up. Haha her family just keeps getting weirder and weirder, poor girl. Hope you enjoyed the chapter and weren't in pain while reading this time! Sorry it took so long and thanks for sticking with me!

**_Norma Jean the Dancing Machine:_** Haha Pullings abuse is fun. It should be an Olympic Sport. I think I'd get the silver because I'm not nearly as cruel as Miss Flossy! Another Blakeney chapter? Um…. maybe eventually? Haha I'm not sure where I'll throw one in but it'll get there eventually. I hope you enjoyed the much overdue update! Thanks for reviewing!

Now.…… per request….. Tom Pullings the Ballerina!

Tom: I'm not coming out!

Me: Yes you will.

Tom: No I won't!

Me: You have to. I left my lovely readers whom I adore hanging for over two months and it was mean of me! Now I have to make it up to them so get your butt out here or I'll kill you all off!

Tom: (sigh) Fine…. comes out wearing a white feathered tutu and crown

Me: I give you…… SWAN LAKE!

Tom: This really is humiliating. (dances…. Stumbling around and falling on his face… then runs off the stage crying)

Sigh. Such a drama queen. Anyway, again I'm so sorry this took me so long! Take it up with my professors! Please please review and let me know you guys are still out there and haven't given up on me! And I'll keep Tom dancing. I'm taking requests for his next performance! Until next time guys, happy reading!


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